Forest Dept to act tough with those found feeding monkeys

Forest Dept to act tough with those found feeding monkeys
Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, June 22
The state Forest Department has decided to detain travellers, who are found feeding monkeys along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (1-A).Though it has failed to control the increasing population of monkeys, the Forest Department has now decided to detain for two to 24 hours people caught feeding monkeys.

Monkey menace in the state has assumed such a proportion that in some places residents have migrated from villages and have also left farming, as monkeys have been destroying their crops.

Confirming this development, the Chief Forest Conservator (Wildlife) of the Jammu division, Upinder Pachnanda, said, “Soon, those who are found feeding monkeys along the national highway will be detained in their own vehicles, as it is a crime to feed monkeys. The department is taking this step after taking cognisance of the problems being faced by the villagers”.

He added that it was just a step to make every violator realise that he had broken a law. “Though we have installed boards at several places asking travellers not to feed monkeys, people are in no mood to leave this practice. After detaining a traveller for a maximum of 24 hours, we will hand him or her to the police,” said Pachnanda. He added that their aim was to solve the problem and not to harass travellers.

About the department’s failure in controlling the menace, he cited the shortage of manpower and lack of funds as the main reasons for it. He acknowledged that though they were putting in maximum efforts and issuing challans to control the menace, the population of monkeys was uncontrollable.

“A monkey’s life is normally considered to be 12-13 years. So we cannot even keep them in captivity, as it is very difficult to feed them for such a long period,” he said.

On the steps being taken by the Himachal Pradesh government to curb the menace, the Chief Forest Conservator said, “The Himachal government’s method is not fruitful, as with the use of rubber pellets a monkey cannot be killed. It will definitely return to the same area after some time”.

Courtesy: The Tribune