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| Monkey menace on the rise | | | Dr. Pragya Khanna
Looking at the News items published from every corner of the country every other day on the similar aspect, it is very pertinent that 'Monkey menace' is no longer an odd case of mischief carried out by a monkey. It has reached to a great magnitude and is being calculated statistically. While monkeys have already disrupted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plans of making Varanasi city Wi-Fi-enabled by regularly chewing optical fibre cables, they have been causing extensive damage to agriculture in India, already facing low productivity due to extreme weather events such as unseasonal rainfall besides their other horrendous daily activities. According to the state wildlife department, the population of monkeys in Himachal Pradesh between 1990 and 2004 showed an unprecedented increase from 61,000 to 317,000. The truth of the matter is that after stray dogs, it is monkeys that are troubling local residents, with several cases of monkey-bite being reported in the recent past.
The same is true about most of the Indian states that have seen record growth in the population of monkeys. Himachal Pradesh is one example of how bad the situation is in the country. From Jammu and Kashmir in the north to Karnataka in the south, several states in the country are struggling to contain assaults by monkeys. In 2013, Jammu and Kashmir agriculture minister, G H Mir, issued a statement that said 250 villages in Jammu lose farm produce worth Rs 33 crore every year because of attacks by wild monkeys.
According to the Primate Research Centre, Jodhpur, which is one of the three Union Government-run institutes on primates, more than 1,000 cases of monkey bites are reported every day in Indian cities. Almost all cities with high monkey population have abundant stories of monkeys encroaching and destroying property and robbing people. Monkeys are wreaking havoc even in the capital as well. In a very tragic incidence former deputy mayor of Delhi, S S Bajwa, fell from his terrace and died in 2007 after monkeys attacked him. Monkeys are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom and we have always peacefully coexisted and benefitted from each other. In fact, they are the second largest population in primates, after humans. But this relationship seems to have gone unpleasant over the years. The reason is because monkeys, along with Grey langurs and bonnet macaques, have adapted to urban habitats over the years. Out of the nearly 225 living species of non-human primates, these three species have adapted to the urban way of life. As monkeys started staying with humans, their population boomed. Experts say the reason the population of monkeys has multiplied after their natural habitat and water sources were destroyed is because of their ability to adapt to new habitats.
"In forests, a Rhesus macaque has to spend about 10 to 14 hours in search of food. However, if we look at the street-dwelling urban monkeys or even those living dangerously close to human settlements in a rural setting, finding food takes only 10 minutes," says Satish Sood, who heads one of the state-run sterilisation centres for monkeys in Himachal Pradesh. "When there is food in abundance, monkeys spend more time procreating," he says.
Experts also say that the proximity to villages and cities has increased their life expectancy. "In their native forest homes, their numbers are kept in check by a limited supply of natural forest foods and water. Rates of death are high among wild primates, with up to 80 per cent dying before adulthood, hence, offsetting birth rates.
Besides the behavioural shift in monkeys, the other reason for their moving to new geographical areas is the government's practice of translocating monkeys from the cities to forest areas near rural areas and monkeys in turn run or escape from the forest area to be seen either on the adjoining highways or enter into the civilizations nearby.
Now their population size and the extensive destruction caused by them have prompted state governments to swing into action. They have tried various strategies from culling and sterilisation drives to awareness campaigns on not to feed monkeys. The governments in different states have also tried to employ ultrasonic guns that can scare monkeys away and have also created van vatikas or small sanctuaries for different troops.
The plan to use ultrasonic guns, which cost around Rs 20,000 each, was shelved at different places after municipal officials said the ultrasonic frequencies jammed phone and internet services. Wildlife department officials say van vatikas were found to be unsustainable because of infighting within various troops of monkeys. Himachal Pradesh plans to spend Rs 12 crore in 2015 to control monkey population in the state.
Also, Uttarakhand is now trying to emulate the Himachal Pradesh's sterilisation drive, and has sanctioned Rs 17.5 crore for the same. The state also recently issued a notice that levies a Rs 200 fine on people feeding monkeys at pilgrim and tourist sites. The step was introduced after experts said the act of feeding makes them believe that humans are inferior to them since Monkey society is built on a strong hierarchy of dominance as indicated by research.
It is most likely that monkeys will be attracted to residential areas if they think they can access food easily. Before you think about installing any alarms or security devices to repel moneys you should make sure you are not encouraging them to enter your neighbourhood. The first thing to do is check that there are no open or inadequately secured bins which monkeys can gain easy access to.
As well as ensuring that food waste and rubbish areas are closed off and monkey-proofed, it is essential that you and your neighbours do not feed monkeys in the area. If the monkeys get fed they will come back looking for more food. You can try to cut off their access to human sources of food so they continue to forage in their natural habitat not in urban areas. Assured food and safety has left them with more time for procreation and better chances of survival.
In light of the above mentioned problems to revive the national plan to control monkey menace, India needs a combination of strategies, from a new institutional mechanism to adopting new technological solutions.
For example, the experiences of Hong Kong and Japan combine well-targeted popular methods like sterilisation and culling as well as technological innovations to keep monkeys at bay. Hong Kong reported extensive crop loss because of monkeys till early 2000. The country then rolled out a comprehensive plan that included targeted sterilisation, strict rules on feeding and promotion of urban forestry. Between 2008 and 2012, the birthrate fell from 68.9 per cent to 30.2 per cent, according to a study by Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2013. Japan gained control over the monkey population with a series of policies that included targeted culling, reviving of natural habitats and employing people to guard crops against attacks. |
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