Amid the coronavirus lockdown, a group of activists has taken the initiative of providing food to monkeys starving along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway here in Maharashtra. On normal days, the primates in the Manor-Palghar hilly and forested belt here used to survive on food left by the travellers passing by the busy highway.

But since the lockdown, there are hardly any travellers on the route, leaving the monkeys deprived of food and water. After coming to know about the plight of the apes, activists of a local organisation went to the highway on Monday carrying dozens of bananas and tomatoes and fed the animals.

On seeing the fruits, a large number of monkeys gathered at the spot in no time and relished the feast, a member of the NGO said. He said the organisation would try to ensure that the stray animals in rural areas are not deprived of food during these unprecedented times.