Himachal to cull monkeys

Shimla -- Himachal Pradesh plans to cull monkeys whose burgeoning population have turned them into real pests, especially to crops.

On the urging of farmers and NGOs, the wildlife department has decided to go in for selective killing of monkeys to end the havoc wreaked on farms.

"Culling of monkeys and wild boars will be carried out where they cause a loss to crops. I have written to field officers to identify these areas so that the culling can start," Vijay Tandon, head of the department, told IANS.

Monkeys are considered a bigger menace than boars in towns like Shimla where civic authorities have been fighting a losing battle against them.

The resort town is heavily populated by monkeys who are known to attack residents and visitors alike.

The transfer of monkeys from urban to rural areas only added to the woes of the countryside.

"We plan to involve villagers and grassroot organisations. The carcass of the animals will be burnt in the presence of all so that the skins and other animal remains are not misused," said Tandon.

The Himachal Gyan Vigyan Samiti (HGVS), an NGO, has long protested the damage to standing crops by monkeys and other animals.

"There has been an alarming rise in the number of monkeys in the last 25 years. From just 60,000 in 1980, the number rose to 115,000 in the next 10 years and has now touched a whopping 317,000," said HGVS chief Kuldeep Tanwar.

The NGO attributes this sharp rise in population to their shift from the wilds to villages where they multiplied due to easy availability of food and absence of their natural predators.

"Several species of wild animals - monkeys, wild boars, parrots, porcupines and rabbits - destroy over Rs.2 billion worth of standing crops each year, according to government estimates. But we feel the damage is double (Rs.4 billion)," said Tanwar.

"According to our members, 2,319 panchayats out of 3,243 (village councils) are affected by the menace of wild animals," he added.

However, the government decision has ruffled the feathers of animal rights activists here.

"Such killings cannot be allowed at any cost. Why have farmers encroached on the habitat of these animals? Isn't that illegal?" said one activist, Rajeshwar Singh Negi.

"Greedy farmers have grabbed their territory and now want to kill the animals," he added.