Summary:
A monkey plague has claimed the lives of at least 16 animals in India.

Full article:
Fourteen monkeys have died from eating biscuits laced with rat poison after pestering and stealing them from a street vendor in eastern India. Another two monkeys also fell violently ill and required treatment at a veterinary hospital after devouring the food. Police have now opened a criminal investigation against the vendor, who fled in the aftermath of the mass poisoning. Fourteen monkeys in eastern India have died after eating stolen biscuits that were laced with rat poison . The 14 langurs became violently ill and died immediately after devouring the poisoned cookies, while another two were taken to a vet, officials said . Though revered in the majority Hindu nation, monkeys are a major menace, often trashing gardens, office and residential rooftops and even viciously attacking people for food. The troop of 16 langurs grabbed the biscuits from the vendor as he tried to sell them in the eastern state of West Bengal but fell violently ill soon afterwards on Sunday, officials said. Shyamal Mukherjee, the state forest ranger, said: 'Immediately after devouring the biscuits, 14 of them died on the spot and two were admitted to a veterinary hospital.' He added that autopsies were also being conducted. Concerns about India's rising monkey population prompted parliamentary authorities to recently hire a group of actors to impersonate giant monkeys and scare away smaller monkeys who had been terrifying lawmakers.