While State Government is preparating to start monkey sterilisation drive to tackle the human and monkey conflict in Uttarakhand, people continue to feed monkeys on the roadsides to the detriment of both the simians and people. However, since the Forest Department began patrolling identified sites in Dehradun where people feed monkeys there has been some rise in awareness regarding the illegality and detrimental effects of feeding monkeys.
Factors like depletion of fruit trees in forest areas, expanding human settlements, illegal dumping of garbage and the practice of people with a notion of religious merit feeding monkeys have continued to fuel human-simian conflict in many areas of Uttarakhand. To address one of these factors- humans feeding macaques on the roadside or near religious shrines, State Forest Minister Dinesh Aggarwal had last year directed the department to depute teams to inform, warn and penalise, if needed, people feeding monkeys along highways — from Dehradun to Dat Kali temple and from Dehradun to lacchiwala. These teams were deployed by the department towards the end of last year.
Considering the religious link to the practice of feeding monkeys, the department has focused more on informing the people and warning them against feeding of monkeys.
The Dehradun sub divisional officer Gul Vir Singh said that the department team has been warning people and informing them about the illegality of their actions. Macaques and langurs are listed under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act and feeding them is an offence akin to poaching. In one case a person was found to have brought a vehicle load of eatables specifically for the monkeys so he was issued a challan by the department. In most cases though the people are being informed and warned against feeding the simians, said the SDO.
While some people seek religious merit in feeding monkeys, this practice ends up being detrimental to both the monkeys and humans. With illegal dumping of waste and people feeding monkeys generations of monkeys have survived majorly on such food sourced from humans. This often leads to the macaques dying or losing a limb in road accidents involving vehicles.
The department has at least started specific efforts to curb feeding of monkeys, observers point out that it would take some time for people to realise and shun their ill conceived habits which are fueling human-simian conflict in Uttarakhand.