Two monkeys captured after hundreds of puppy deaths in Indian village

Villagers said more than 250 dogs had been killed by the monkeys in recent months

File image: Residents of Lavool village in India’s Maharashtra state claim monkeys have been killing puppies in the area (Getty Images)

Two monkeys have been captured by the forest department in India’s Maharashtra state for supposedly killing puppies in what villagers described as an “act of revenge”.

Residents of Lavool village in the state’s Beed district say that monkeys have been killing puppies by carrying them up trees or to rooftops and dropping them to their deaths.

The locals have claimed that the incidents were in retaliation after some dogs mauled an infant monkey to death. There is no evidence to support the claims, although images on social media have shown monkeys carrying puppies.

Acting on reports of the puppies being killed, the forest authority of Beed district captured two monkeys on Sunday. They will later be released in a forest.

“Two monkeys involved in the killing of many puppies have been captured by a Nagpur forest department team in Beed,” Sachin Kand, Beed forest officer, told news agency ANI.

According to locals, more than 250 puppies have been killed by monkeys in the last three months since the “cycle of revenge” began.

“Such incidents had been happening over the last three months. These two monkeys come to our village. They take away puppies with them to the roof of houses or to any other place at height,” a resident, Radhakishan Sonawane, told PTI news agency.

“At such height, these puppies don’t get any food or water. Hence, they died naturally many times. But sometimes they fell from a height and died. Over 200 puppies had lost their lives in our village,” he added.

Panic-stricken villagers say they have been contacting authorities for help after the monkeys began to attack children, but authorities did not capture the animals until now.

The village of Lavool, which has a population of 5,000 people, reportedly has no puppies left now.