Monkey menace in Himachal Pradesh has assumed alarming proportions now with the simians posing a major threat to life, crops and property as the Government has failed to check the ever growing problem.
Tourists coming to the State, including hotspot Shimla, Manali or Dharamshala can’t miss the simians either on the hotel roof top or on the wayside or on a hoarding, warning the people to stay away from monkeys. The menace of simians is such that the State Government has been left grappling for solutions.
The previous BJP Government which fought the election on the issue, got thumping majority and initiated culling of monkeys which was later stopped by the High Court on a petition of animal right activists. later, the Government opened sterilization centre to check the menace which was becoming a major problem for the state.
The first census of simians was held in 2004 and the count was found to be 3,17,112 and now in 2013 the census
conducted by forest department across the Sate in the month of June, the count was found to be 2,26,086.
Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri said that around 68,000 monkeys have been sterilized in different sterilization centres. Bharmouri conceded that monkeys are posing a major threat to life, property and crops in the State and State Government is trying every possible alternative to deal with it. “We have planned to set up five monkey parks inside the forest areas for which lands have been identified at Todarpur (Nahan), Haripur (Chamba), Salodi, Nurpur and Simbal Bada,” said Bharmouri, adding that sterilized monkeys will be kept in these parks.
Bharmouri was replying to a question of independent MlA Maheshwar Singh during a zero hour in assembly. He said that several trees which bear fruits are being planted in forests, so that monkeys stay in forests and not venture into human habitats. In the past seven months, three new sterilization centres have been opened at Paonta Sahib of Sirmaur district, Sarol of Chamba district and Salapd of Mandi
district. The census conducted by the forest department also said that lahaul and Spiti is the only district of the State which has zero population of monkeys.
In Kinnaur district, too, the count of monkeys has been found very low and is said to be less than 2000. Bharmouri informed the house that no person has till now died due to monkeys attack but one girl has gone disabled after falling from fourth floor of the house after being chased by the monkeys while she was drying the clothes on the roof.
The Forest Minister assured the House that the Sate Gvernment will provide all possible financial help to the victim for carrying out her treatment.