RAICHUR: Severe drought and harsh summer have started affecting animals in Raichur district as five bonnet macaques were found dead inside an overhead water tank.A pack of 10 macaques in search of water climbed the overhead tank and seeing water stepped inside the tank to quench the thirst at J Mallapur in Raichur taluk. While five were found dead, another five were rescued by the villagers. The village has 150-200 macaques, according to a villager.
Govinada Shetty, a villager, suspected that the monkeys may have died two days ago. “The incident came to light when the water supplied to the village emanated foul smell. The villagers sensing something wrong climbed the tank only to find five dead macaques and five struggling for life,” he said.
Another villager said many people complained of vomiting after drinking the water from the tank.When the villagers went to the cliff to check what was wrong, they found the animals in the tank. Residents of Mallapur feed monkeys with food and water and due to summer, but this time there isn’t enough water to feed them. As a result, animals roam around the village in search of water, he added.
In this village, most of the water sources have dried up and water is supplied through tankers. Tankers get water from the overhead tank to supply it to houses. A forest official told The New Indian Express that the department has no information about the deaths. He, however, said a probe will be conducted into the incident.