Page 53 - 15MAR2019E

Monkey Menace

its residents, including monkeys. Thus, Year Monkeys sterilised in numbers Total number of
the primates turn towards the trash bins monkeys
of human beings searching through the Male Female sterilised year wise
waste to find something to eat. In the
process, they leave the wastes outside 2006- 366 190 556
the trash bin. The waste materials gets 2007
carried away by the wind, affecting the
cleanliness of the place and adding to the 2007- 773 672 1445
environmental pollution. 2008
With the excessive population of 2008- 863 1677 2540
monkeys, even all the garbage of Shimla
are not enough to feed them. Therefore, 2009
some of these primates go after human 2009- 5179 6445 11624
beings and snatch their things to satisfy 2010
their hunger. Many of the people inter- 2010-2011 7490 7588 15078
viewed by the writers said that most
of the time the apes approach them to 2011-2012 11117 9658 20775
rob their food items. In Jakhu Temple 2012- 7733 7080 14813
and Mall Road areas, the simians 2013
attack the tourists to not only steal their
food but also their belongings such as 2013- 8188 7876 16064
sunglasses, wallets, camera, etc. Many 2014
time these monkeys come in groups to 2014- 6858 6073 12931
scare the passers-by. They snatch items
from their victims and vanish with 2015
2015- 7065 6478 13543
2016
2016- 8591 7306 15897
2017
2017-2018 8484 7132 15616
G Total 72707 68175 140882

almost lightning speed. year 2015-16 was 28,800. However, 11,072
Interestingly, people are not allowed monkeys were not sterilised until the
to do any extreme harm to monkeys end of February 2016.
as they are protected by the law under The decline in progress is being
the Wild life Protection Act 1972, Sched- attributed to the rapidly growing popu-
ule 2. However, in case of self-defense, lation of the monkeys. Apparently, the
the provisions regarding monkey’s state doesn’t have means to construct a
protection may not be applicable. There big centre to deal with the rising number
is also a religious angle to the issue. of monkeys. Even if they do construct a
Majority of the people living in Shimla big shelter, they won’t be able to catch all
are Hindu and monkeys are perceived monkeys of the town.
as gods by them.. The Himachal Pradesh Government
The Himachal Pradesh started a has made a draft proposal to curb the
monkey sterilisation programme to attacks and the damages caused by the
control their constantly increasing pop- monkeys in the state. It is waiting for an
ulation in 2006. So far, 51.4 of macaque approval from the Central Government
population in the state has been sterilised. of India. The wait needs to end at the
According to the Tutikandi-based Mon- earliest.
key Sterilization Centre of Shimla. The
target of monkey sterilization for the letters@tehelka.com

Tehelka / 15 march 2019 53 www.Tehelka.com