Simian's bites force people to leave TN village

Unable to bear the bites of an elusive monkey, several people of a village near here trooped out of their homes Thursday and only returned after officials promised to trap the animal.

The male monkey's antics in the sleepy hamlet of Thennalakudi, about seven km from here, have rattled district wildlife and forest officials who have now sought the help of veterinarians to capture the animal by tranquilising it.

Top officials have arrived at the village to survey the situation.

Elangovan of the village told PTI that the monkey has been biting people, dogs, goats and cows for about a week.

"It has bitten dozens of people and cattle."

The monkey's attacks prompted several villagers to leave their homes and they returned only after officials assured them that the animal would be trapped, he said.

 

"Monkeys are keen on only eating fruits or other eatables, but this animal has a problem and it is interested only in biting people and cattle," the villager said.

Forest Range Officer S Karuppu said for about five days he and his colleagues were trying day and night to trap the elusive animal.

"This monkey could not be lured into a cage or net and we have requisitioned veterinarians from Thanjavur so that it could be trapped by tranquilising it," he said, adding that the monkey was quite aggressive.

Asked about the monkey's aggression and its penchant for biting, Dr C Sreekumar, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, said it may be due to varied reasons.

"It might be due to rabies if it is not consuming food or drinking water and only bites," he said

If the aggression is present for a very long time and in case the animal eats and drinks water well, it may not be due to rabies since infected animals do not live beyond 10 days, he said.

The animal may have been separated from its troop and this aggression could be "stress induced," or it may be a manifestation of some internal injury, Sreekumar added.