The monkey that came into the limelight across the country, after it appeared on its own before Sitakunda Upazila Health Complex for treatment a few days ago, died Friday afternoon while undergoing treatment.
Despite valiant efforts by the medical team at Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU), the monkey succumbed to its injuries around 1:15pm on Friday.
Chittagong Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Officer, Dipanwita Bhattacharya, confirmed the demise of the much-discussed monkey.
Dipanwita said: “The condition of the monkey was showing signs of improvement during the initial two days of treatment, with positive responses. However, it stopped eating from Thursday afternoon and began vomiting. The medical team administered two saline pushes and attempted to provide liquid nourishment orally, but unfortunately, there was limited improvement. The monkey passed away at noon.”
“It will be laid to rest within our office premises,” said the officer.
Earlier, the monkey had suffered severe injuries due to an electric shock while searching for food in the area.
It was initially brought to the attention of the Department of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation on Monday.
Prior to that, it had been receiving treatment at the Sitakunda Upazila Health Centre since Saturday, where it had become a regular visitor for care.
Sitakunda Upazila Health Officer, Dr Nur Uddin Rashed, said: "On Saturday, we noticed the injured monkey wandering around the upazila health centre premises, and we promptly initiated treatment. After each session, the monkey would return to the nearby forest. However, it reappeared on Sunday afternoon, and we applied fresh bandages with medication. The monkey remained calm during this time. Following further treatment, it ventured back to the garden but returned to the hospital on Monday morning. We removed the previous bandage and provided additional dressing."
Health officials had been reporting the monkey's daily visits to the hospital, prompting the intervention of the forest department and animal resources office, who eventually rescued the monkey.
Subsequently, it was transferred to CVASU for more advanced treatment, though, sadly, it couldn't overcome its injuries.
