A dozen monkeys were on Monday found dead after they suffered
simultaneous heart attacks, not long after they were scared by a tiger
in a forest in India.
The incident happened in a forest in India – with veterinary experts
claiming they suffered simultaneous heart attacks after they were scared
by a tiger. Locals discovered the monkeys in a forest clearing and were
initially baffled by the apparent mass death. Suspecting the mammals
had been poisoned, postmortems were carried out which reportedly
revealed they all had heart attacks at the same time.
Vet Dr. Sanjeev Kumar said: ‘It was confirmed in the post-mortem report that the monkeys died due to cardiac arrest.
‘The monkeys could have died due to tiger’s roar as tigers often traverse that area.’
According to him, Forest department workers found the monkeys on
Monday and an upsetting video shows them stuffing the bodies in
polythene bags
He said villagers reported that tigers are often in the area and were heard roaring at the time of the deaths.
The claim of a mass heart attack has been criticised by wildlife
experts, however, who suggest the animals were more likely to have died
from an infection.
Dr Brijendra Singh, a veterinarian, told the Times of India:
‘Monkeys are a wild animal and they don’t die in this manner. All the
monkeys might have been suffering from some infection that claimed their
lives.’