Jharkhand: 32 wild monkeys drowned in an irrigation well while quenching their thirst

Medininagar: 32 wild monkeys are feared to have drowned while quenching their thirst in an irrigation well in Jharkhand’s Palamu district, a forest official said on Monday. The incident took place in Sorath village in Panki block and the bodies were recovered on Sunday, but officials are yet to ascertain the exact date of the incident. “A total of 32 wild monkeys were found dead in an irrigation well in Sorath. The bodies were fished out,” Medininagar Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Kumar Ashish told PTI. The entire area is reeling under intense heat and the temperature is hovering around 44-45 degrees Celsius. “Water sources in the area have almost dried up. Wild animals are coming to villages to quench their thirst. These monkeys drowned while quenching their thirst,” Ashish said. He said the well in which the monkeys died had sufficient water. He said the post-mortem of the bodies has been conducted but the report is yet to be received. He said three jackals wandering in search of water in the Chainpur forest a few days ago fell into a well and died. Four people died of heat stroke in Jharkhand last week while 1,326 others were hospitalised amid scorching heat that lashed most parts of the eastern state. All district hospitals and other medical facilities have been asked to keep air-conditioned rooms and vacant beds for heat stroke patients, officials said.