State govt fails to solve monkey menace

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, February 9

For ages, the country’s Hindu majority has worshipped monkeys as the living incarnation of Lord Hanuman, the monkey-god. But monkeys have earned a bad name for their increasing attacks on human beings, among other nuisances like damaging crop etc, particularly in the hill state.

There are more than five lakh monkeys in the state and over 80 per cent live in the cities, towns and villages.

As many as 2,320 out of the total 3,200 panchayats in the state have been badly affected by the problem.

The villagers feel that the problem has become more acute as the monkeys have been provided “protection” under laws, such as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Wildlife Protection Act. Another factor responsible for the increase in their number is the ban imposed on their export by the Government of India.

People’s Voice, a voluntary organisation, has urged the government to lift the ban on the export of monkeys to get rid of them. It has urged the government to launch a massive campaign to check the menace.

In the past five years, over a thousand people were bitten or clawed by aggressive monkeys, which also proved fatal for a few innocent people. Monkeys are also accused of snatching handbags from passers-by, stealing food from houses, medicines from hospitals and files from government offices. Women and school-going children have become soft targets in many parts of the state. Rampaging monkeys have also caused automobile crashes recently, resulting in fatal mishaps.

The state government has time and again announced that monkeys will be sterilised and rehabilitation centres will be set up in the state. But till date, only a few hundred monkeys could be sent to such centres. In these circumstances, it will take years to rehabilitate the five lakh monkeys. In fact, the state government has failed to formulate any proper plan to sterilise and rehabilitate monkeys.

The Divisional Forest Officer, Palampur, said the state government was well versed with the situation. In Palampur division alone, a target of 1,500 had been fixed for the sterilisation of monkeys. “Till date, 60 monkeys have already been sterilised and by the end of March the target will be achieved,” he added.

It may be recalled that the degradation of forest areas in the state is the main reason for monkeys getting closer to human settlements. In Himachal Pradesh, the worst affected areas are Shimla and its suburbs. Besides, in Palampur, Baijnath, Paprola and lower areas of Palampur, residents are fed up with the increasing monkey menace.

In the past, the administration has trapped and relocated more than 2,000 monkeys to the forests, but nearly all returned to the cities due to lack of water, vegetation and fruits in jungles.