Marauding monkey kills 50 goats, Arumbavur villagers in panic

TNN | May 8, 2020, 04.43 AM IST

Trichy: The movement of a suspected rabies-infected monkey has kept residents of Arumbavur village in Perambalur district indoors.

The monkey, which came to the village in January, has claimed the lives of around 50 goats in the village and has also attacked and injured a few women. But, the administration is yet to take any steps to address the issue, the villagers said.N Krishnamurthy, 65, residing in the village said that they have to live in constant fear of the monkey, which has prevented their visits to shops to get essentials. The monkey was bitten by dogs and staff in the primary health centre in the village suspect that the monkey may be infected with rabies, he said. S Muthu, 40, another villager, said that it has claimed the lives of 50 goats in the village affecting their livelihood. They had tried to catch the monkey but failed.

The villagers have filed a petition to district collector seeking steps to capture the monkey that is posing a threat to their lives. A senior official from collector’s office said that complaint has been forwarded to the forest department for appropriate action. Honorary district animal welfare officer G Ramakrishnan from Animal welfare board of India (AWBI) said that it may not be a case of rabies as monkeys, if infected with rabies, would die in a week. It could be infected with some other disease, which may be reason for its violent behaviour, he said.