UDUPL: The carcasses of at least 14 monkeys were found lying by the roadside near Nadpalu village, in Hebri taluk, on Monday. Forest department officials arrived at the spot along with veterinarians, and samples were sent for postmortem and forensic analysis to ascertain the cause of death. A source told TNIE that owners of nearby estates may have killed the animals after the latter destroyed their crops. Ashish Reddy, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Kundapur division, said that the police dog squad was pressed into service to investigate the matter further.

The details will become clear once the postmortem report is back, he added. Prima facie, it appears that these monkeys may have been killed at a different location and dumped near Nadpalu village. The monkeys, of different ages, include babies, and were found in a gunny sack.