12 monkeys found dead in Aonla reserve forests

“Local forest staff recovered nine carcasses on September 4 and the rest were found yesterday,” Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), South Kheri, Sameer Verma said.

“A postmortem was carried out by veterinarians. No foul play has been found,” he said.

Though the postmortem report is yet to be released, officials suspect that the simians may have died due to heart failure.

Wildlife conservationist Vijay Prakash Singh, who is also convenor of Terai Nature Conservation Society (TNCS), said pesticides could also be a reason behind the sudden death of monkeys.

He said pesticides cannot be traced after 24 hours.