Monkeys again declared vermin in Shimla

SHIMLA: The marauding monkeys which have become a bane of residents and tourists in Shimla have again been declared vermin for six months by the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF). Though the notification was issued in February and printed in the government gazette on March 6, the state authorities were caught napping and had no information about it.

The MoEF notification extended permission for culling of monkeys till May 24 in relaxation of Section 62 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

The chief wildlife warden was intimated about the notification only a few days back.

Monkeys were first declared vermin on March 14, 2016, for six months. But the wildlife wing of the state forest department failed to make arrangements for killing monkeys within the stipulated period and the deadline ended in September last year. Following this, the state government urged the Union ministry to extend the period by a year, but to no avail.

“Monkeys have been declared vermin in Shimla for a period of six months. We will write to the ministry to extend it by another year as we received the information late. No separate notification was issued for Shimla rather the ministry clubbed the period with the 38 tehsils in the state where also simians have been declared vermin,” said chief wildlife warden SK Sharma.

Sources said the state government had started preparing a comprehensive plan to deal with the monkey menace and also to check their growing population, posing a threat to the lives and livelihood of citizens.

The monkey census of July 2015 revealed that there are 2,452 simians within the Shimla municipal corporation limits and eight forest beats of Jakhu, Summer Hill, Glen, Kaithu, Khalini, Fagli, Tuti Kandi and Bharari were identified as endemic areas.

Marauding monkeys, prowling in gangs on Shimla’s streets create panic among residents and tourists.

They have been causing havoc by biting passersby, especially women and children, and snatching food.

Residents have been asking the government to take measures to cull monkeys.

Last year, the state government also announced ₹500 for killing a monkey, but no animal was killed in the state capital.