Injured monkey seeks help at health complex

An injured monkey showed up at a hospital three days in a row till yesterday all by itself to get treatment for wounds in Chattogram's Sitakunda upazila.

According to locals, the monkey wandered into the locality from a nearby forest to search for food.

On Saturday, they said, it appeared at the main gate of Sitakunda Upazila Health Complex, covered in wounds.

Dr Nur Uddin, the health and family welfare officer at the complex, noticed the injured monkey while he was leaving his office and rushed it to the emergency room for primary treatment.

He then informed the officials of the upazila livestock office and forest department. However, there was no immediate response from them.

The next morning, the monkey came to the complex again, and Nur Uddin, upon noticing it, changed the wound dressings and once again requested forest department officials and the upazila animal resource officer to rescue the primate.

Yesterday morning, he saw the monkey back at the complex in a serious condition, and the health complex officials asked the upazila livestock officer and wildlife conservation officer to come urgently.

Nur Uddin said, "When the monkey first showed up on Saturday afternoon, we [upazila health complex officials] saw wounds all over its body... I immediately took it to the emergency department and bandaged the injuries.

"I thought it would be better to provide medical care under the supervision of a veterinary surgeon, and so I informed the upazila livestock officer and forest department officials. They didn't come that day, saying they would 'see what could be done'."

When he saw the monkey the next day, almost all the bandages were coming off.

"I brought it back to the emergency room, changed the dressings for the wounds, and once again informed the authorities concerned, but to no avail."

The next day, Nur Uddin implored the upazila livestock officer and wildlife conservation officer to rescue the monkey on an emergency basis as its wounds were beginning to get infected.

"They finally came that day and took it away."

Referring to the animal's calm demeanour, he said, "Every time I treated it, it was very calm. Even when it waited near the health complex on its own, it sat calmly at the gate until help came."

Sitakunda Livestock Officer Tahmina Arju said when she heard the monkey was in bad condition, she and other officials of the wildlife conservation department rushed to the health complex and took it to the Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University for proper treatment.

"The monkey's wounds seemed like they were inflicted by sharp objects... It is, however, in a stable condition now."

Asked why Nur Uddin chose to help the animal despite working at a health institute dedicated to humans, he said, "When I first saw the monkey on Saturday, the way it looked at me, I could tell it was desperate for help. It was after office hours, and I knew that vets would also not be available at the moment.

"I had to help it in any way that I could, so I tried my best for as long as it needed."