Himachal villagers oppose monkey park
The wildlife wing of the forest department’s proposed plan to set up an enclosure to capture marauding monkeys in Shimla town has met with resistance. Residents of Taradevi village have strongly opposed the proposal for setting up the enclosure, forcing the forest department to relocate the enclosure to Jubberhatti.
The wildlife wing had drawn a proposal to set up a monkey care centre in Taradevi, which is eight kilometers from the main town. The main objective of the monkey care centre was to keep rowdy monkeys in captivity. But the villagers of Taradevi strongly opposed the plans, saying that earlier during BJP regime, the wildlife department had set up a primate park in their area, which later created problems for the farming community.
The monkeys creating nuisance in Shimla town were captured and lodged in the primate park but later the simians ran away from the primate park started creating nuisance in the villages in Taradevi’s surrounding areas. “The villagers are sceptical after the past experience and don't want any kind of activities near their village,” said another forest official.
“In the wake of objections from the villagers of Taradevi, the forest department has selected a new site at Jubberhatti,” said Tarun Kapoor, additional chief secretary forest. The forest department has drawn a proposal to set up the primate monkey care centre in Jubberhatti, which is close to Shimla airport. There is proposal to build an enclosure for keeping as many as 1,000 monkeys,” says Kapoor . Besides, the government will also establish a hospital for the medical care of the captivated monkeys. Monkey menace in Shimla and its surroundings has attained an alarming proportion.
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.
The marauding monkeys in Shimla were declared vermin again in February for a period six months by Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF). Though the notification was issued in February and printed in the government gazette on March 6. 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.