Dr. Banarsi Lal and Dr. Pawan Sharma
Monkeys are wreaking havoc in Jammu and Kashmir. Their burgeoning population and habitat shift from forests to towns has created a new level of man-animal conflict in this hilly state. Monkeys damage the crops and leave farmers grappling with losses that have badly affected the state’s economy thus affecting the livelihood of the farmers.
Due to the damage of agricultural crops some farmers are abandoning agricultural occupation and searching some other avenues. Some farmers say that it is better not to cultivate their fields because it saves their input costs. Our neighboring state Himachal Pradesh used to sterilize the monkeys to check their offspring. It has been observed that the destruction of crops and geographical reach of the monkeys is increasing annually. Already the state is having low crop productivity due to natural calamities, rainfed conditions and low adoption of advance agricultural technologies by the farmers. Crops damaged by the monkeys is a matter of grave concern and is discouraging the farmers to grow the crops. Even if the high yielding/hybrid varieties are sown by the farmers, monkeys finish the crops beforehand. Monkey menace has become a big issue in the rural areas of J&K.
Some areas of the state are severely affected by the monkeys due to which farmers are not sowing crops in their land resulting huge economic loss to them. Monkeys invade the fields and severely damage the maize crop, vegetables, fruits etc. In Jammu region of J&K every year crops are severely damaged in around 15,000 hectares of land in around 250 villages of Reasi, Udhampur, Jammu and Kathua districts of the state by the monkeys resulting in the loss of crores of rupees. In Kashmir region of J&K there is less threat of the monkeys. Monkeys have left a substantial dent in J&K state’s agricultural production capacity. Monkeys also cause substantial loss to the fruit crops like mango, guava, bear, grapes, citrus fruits, litchi, pear, peach, plum, apricot etc. in large area of the state resulting a great loss to the orchardists. It has been observed that areas near the forests are less affected by the monkey menace as the monkeys get food in the forests. The crops like turmeric, ginger, marigold, lemon grass, palma rosa etc. are not affected by the monkeys and needs to be promoted in the state. Fruit loving trees which are preferred by the monkeys needs to be planted along with periphery of forest and protected areas boundaries to augment the food availability for them so that they remain restricted in the forest areas only and do not come out in the villages to damage the agricultural crops.
The numbers of reported monkey attacks on humans are also rising. Sometimes some people die due to their attack while some are disabled after being attacked by them. They bite people, contaminate drinking water in storage tanks, transmit diseases, steal, tear, break, snatch and enter houses, buildings and even hospital wards. Our neighbouring state Himachal Pradesh has established eight sterilization centres to tackle the monkey menace. After the sterilization, the monkeys are released in the forests. The farmers in Himachal Pradesh are also using electric fencing that is absolutely safe and does not kill the monkeys but just scare them. After mild current the monkeys afraid to come in the fields. Forest Department of Himachal Pradesh is using GPS to track the monkeys by plotting them directly on a map. They are also planning to install microchips in the sterilized monkeys for better identification.
Painthal, Dera Baba and Pouni areas of Reasi district of J&K are severely affected by the monkey menace. According to the locals some farmers are leaving the agriculture because of monkeys’ threat. According to Ashwani Kumar, a farmer from Dera Baba village in Reasi district “We remain at maize fields right from morning to evening to protect our maize crop from monkeys which is a major food crop for us and we avoid to go even in our relatives home because of the monkeys. Our crops are destroyed by the monkeys and socio-economic status has totally been disturbed by the monkeys”. Says Tilak Raj, a progressive farmer from Sirah village near Katra, there is dire need to protect our crops from monkey menace and some initiatives are urgently needed to manage this serious problem. In some areas of the state entire crops are damaged by the monkeys threatening the food insecurity to the human beings.
Meanwhile, the country’s foremost wildlife research institute, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), is working on oral contraceptives for monkeys that can be given through food. Experts say this can make capturing of monkeys for sterilization redundant. The major advantage of oral contraception is that it is non-surgical. According to the sources, Himachal Pradesh forest department has asked several agriculture universities including Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Agriculture University, Palampur, to develop feed for monkeys in which these contraceptives can be given.
The HP Government has also tried employing ultrasonic guns that can scare monkeys. Wildlife department officials say Van Vatikas are unsustainable because of infighting within various troops of monkeys. Himachal Pradesh spending crores of Rupees to manage monkey population in the state. In order to relocating monkeys out of the city, the Delhi Government hired Gray Langurs, the most common long-tailed monkey across south Asia, to chase monkeys. But the practice was discontinued after the Union Environment Ministry said it violated the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972, that says Langurs are the endangered species.
The administration then tried to use young men dressed as Langurs to chase monkeys which had limited success. Telengana, which is home to more than 200,000 monkeys, has proposed to plant trees across the state and create green islands to provide habitation to monkeys. Government has announced the Rs 830-crore Haritha Haaram (Green garland) scheme. Under it, the state plans to its increase tree cover from the present 24 per cent to 33 per cent. The monkey’s habitat and food-sources have been greatly depleted. Monkey society is built on a strong hierarchy of dominance, where the highest ranking is free to exploit all subordinates, and so on down the line of the hierarchy.
There is need to try to emulate the Himachal Pradesh’s sterilization drive in J&K also and for that purpose special budget needs to be sanctioned by the state Government. The state government should also issue a notice that levies a fine on people feeding monkeys at roads, pilgrims and tourists sites. Feeding to the monkeys leads to abandon their natural habitat and they migrate towards villages and towns and create lot of problems to the people. Feeding, baiting and luring of monkeys are the offences under the Wildlife Protection Act. According to the experts the act of feeding makes them believe that humans are inferior to them. Combinations of strategies are needed to control the monkey menace in the state. Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Reasi is promoting the ginger, turmeric, marigold, lemon grass, vetiver grass and geranium grasses in the district which are not affected by the monkeys and farmers can generate extra income and employment by commercially growing these crops. Also there is need to restore the forests so that monkeys remain confined in those areas.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
