No monkey business, this! On an average eight licences to cull simians were issued every month in Himachal Pradesh since March this year even as the population of the monkeys came down by one-third during the past decade.
Officials said that 57 licenses have been issued since March this year and many more could be issued in the near future given the clamour of the people to get gun license, ostensibly to hunt monkeys in the State.
Officials in the Himachal government said the number of licenses, demanded and granted, may go up in near future as the government is seeking centre's nod for declaring monkeys vermin in 45 more tehsils of the state.
In a reply sent to centre on the impact of declaring monkeys vermin in 38 monkey hotspots, Himachal government has said that people have started to procure gun licenses and 57 such licenses have already been granted.
Talking about the need of declaring monkeys vermin in more tehsils, Shamsher Singh Negi, Principal Chief Conservator Forests, HP said that on the demand of people, state government has sought extension of the notification of declaring monkeys vermin, where monkey population density is 0.15 or more.
The efforts of sterilisation in the state had borne fruit and the monkey population, which was 3.17 lac in 2004 census has come down to 2.07 lac in 2015 monkey census, said Negi. He said that 1.12 lac monkeys in the state had been sterilised, which stands around 52% of the total monkey population.
But to curb the monkey menace effectively, sterilisation up to 80 percent of monkey population was required, which was still eluding the state as the state has been finding it tough to find monkey catchers. Negi said the Government has raised the incentive for monkey catchers from Rs500 to Rs700. Monkey catchers from other States are also being invited to the State.
Government is now compensating monkey catchers, when they catch an already sterilised monkey. In such cases, Rs150 is paid to monkey catchers.
Negi said that the Government sets an yearly target of sterilisation of monkeys, but for culling there is no target and it is only permitted in private area, where monkeys become menace for public life or property.
The Centre had recently extended a notification for declaring monkeys vermin in 38 sub-divisions including Shimla Municipal Area.