Enraged monkeys have killed 250 dogs in an Indian district by dragging them to the top of buildings and trees and dropping them.
Panic-stricken residents have also come under attack and say the acts of animal violence have been carried out ‘in revenge’ after a pack of dogs killed one of the monkeys’ infants.
The horrific incidents have been reported in the villages of Majalgaon, where 250 dogs are said to have been killed by rampaging primates, and nearby Lavul in Maharashtra’s Beed district.
According to India’s News18 website, ‘not a single pup’ is left in Lavul where even school children are being chased and attacked.
Villagers have reported that monkeys set upon dogs as soon as they see them before taking them up to a high place – the top of a building or a tree – and dropping them to their death.
The reports say that in the last month alone, 250 dogs have been killed in this way.
Pictures in local media show a monkey on a rooftop holding a dog
Pictures in Indian media appeared to confirm the attacks. In one, a monkey can be seen on a roof carrying a puppy to the edge of a building.
Separate footage, possibly of the incident that sparked the revenge attacks, showed dogs chasing monkeys through the village as local women and children ran for safety. The dogs appeared to be protecting a child.
Residents of the village contacted officials at the forest department, asking that they round up the killer monkeys. However, when officers were sent to the village they were unable to catch even one of the primates, News18 said.
According to the villagers, the monkeys are taking revenge.
They say that the violence erupted when some of the dogs killed a baby monkey.
After the officials failed to deal with the problem, villagers reportedly took it upon themselves to try and save the dogs.
But when they did, the monkeys fought back against their efforts, with the news station reporting some men even fell from heights themselves when trying to save dogs that had been dragged there.
Clearly not content with the extermination of the dogs, monkeys are now said to be going after young children.
School children are reportedly being attacked by the monkeys, creating a further sense of panic among the villagers.
In one reported instance, an eight-year-old was grabbed and dragged away by the monkeys, forcing villagers to throw stones at them to scare them off.
Discussion about this post