Siliguri, March 3: Foresters of Bagdogra range today searched the 111 sub-area of the Indian Army in Bengdubi and the adjoining locality to check out the physical condition of the rhesus monkeys that inhabit the area.

The move, they said, was a follow-up exercise to find out whether any other monkey was ailing because of suspected poisoning, which had left 18 primates dead in the army swimming pool in Bengdubi yesterday.

“Since morning, we sighted five to seven troupes of rhesus monkeys, both in the army settlement as well as in the neighbouring hamlets,” a forester said. “Our intention was to know their health condition. We found them fit and healthy and none of the primates were drooping or bleeding from the mouth as happens in the case of poisoning.”

The primates live in troupes, each comprising 30 to 40 monkeys.

“On any other day, their presence is ignored for they are quite common here. But today, many people looked at them with curiosity since so many of the species died yesterday,” the forester added.

The foresters also talked to the army officials in Bengdubi. “We took details of the swimming pool and certain information pertinent to our investigation,” another forest officer said.

Y.T. Aden, the divisional forest officer of Kurseong of which Bagdogra range is a part, said in the morning, there were rumours that more carcasses of rhesus monkeys had been spotted in Bengdubi. “But our range officer from Bagdogra and the wildlife squad from Sukna scanned the entire area and nothing was found.”

The post-mortem reports of the dead monkeys are yet to arrive.