72 hours & 70 bites on, operation ‘capture monkey’ continues in Kolhapur village

Kolhapur: The search for an aggressive monkey that has injured over 70 people in Solankur village of Kolhapur’s Radhanagari tehsil over the past three days continued on Tuesday, with forest officials, rescue teams and villagers struggling to trap the animal.A Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team, forest department personnel, veterinary experts and local residents have been combing the area, but the monkey has repeatedly evaded capture by darting between houses, terraces and surrounding vegetation. A veterinary team remains stationed in the village.Veterinary officer Santosh Walvekar said the animal’s behaviour does not indicate it has rabies.“This aggressive, dominant male monkey doesn’t seem to have rabies. If it were a rabid animal, then it would have bitten dogs, cattle, humans... everyone. However, this monkey is attacking only men, and not children or women. The number of attacks has dropped in the past two days as everyone here is moving with sticks in their hands”.Explaining delays in trapping it, he said the monkey’s speed and familiarity with the terrain have made the operation difficult.“This monkey is very fast-moving and knows the hiding places across the village and its surroundings. Whenever it lands on someone’s balcony or terrace, chaos ensues as people panic and try to hit the animal. As a result, the monkey is not staying still at one place. We are not able to dart him. Our efforts are on to trap the monkey. Once caught, we will medically examine it and check its age, wound history and verify if it has rabies.”Meanwhile, the health department said 70 bite cases have been reported so far, with two victims suffering serious injuries. “As of now, 70 patients have been reported with monkey bites. Two of them have been sent to CPR Hospital. Additional stock of anti-rabies vaccine has been made available at the Solankur primary health centre and nearby PHCs,” said district health officer Aniruddha Pimpale.