Mechanism to tackle monkey menace in place: Govt. to HC

‘38 monkeys found dead near Belur was a result of villagers’ attempt to get rid them from damaging their crops’

The State government on Wednesday told the High Court of Karnataka that there is a mechanism in place to tackle the monkey menace, which is prevalent throughout the State.

The government has also told the HC that bodies of monkeys found in gunny bags near Belur in Hassan district on July 28 was a result of attempt made by the residents of Ugane and Kyathanahalli villages to capture monkeys through private persons to overcome repeated damage caused by the animals to their crops.

Delhi model won’t do

In response to the court’s earlier query, the direction to evolve a scheme like the Delhi model to tackle the monkey menace, the government told the HC that the scheme evolved in Delhi appears to be not yielding desired results as other monkeys are found occupying the places from where the authorities were capturing a group of monkeys, and the Delhi government itself has sought help from Karnataka in this regard.

The government provided these details to a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice N.S. Sanjay Gowda during the hearing on two separate PIL petitions, one fined by advocate B.S. Radhanandan on the monkey menace in Bengaluru city, and another petition initiated suo motu by the court on the issue of 38 monkeys found dead near Beluru.

In 2010

The government has stated that Circle Chief Conservators of Forests across the State were authorised back in 2010 to issue orders to capture problematic monkeys and release them to their suitable natural habitats as and when local authorities got complaints of the menace.

Monkey park proposal

As a sustainable solution, an area of 170 acres has been identified in Mathikai village of Hosnagara taluk in Shivamogga district to set up a monkey park to rehabilitate captured, injured and sick monkeys from different parts of the State, the government said while pointing out that officials have studied the monkey menace by visiting Himachal Pradesh and Delhi.

A mobile veterinary operation unit has been prepared under the guidance of Project Director of Kanrataka Cattle Development Board and veterinarians are being trained in behavioural aspects, capture, sterilisation and release of monkeys, it said in its statement while pointing out that 56 cases of menace were reported in Bengaluru city alone during 2018-21.

It was also informed that there exists a helpline with the BBMP for issues related to the snake and monkey menace in Bengaluru city.

Meanwhile, the Bench directed the government to look at the legal issue over permitting private monkey catchers as the definition of hunting of animals in the Wildlife (Protection) Act also covers capturing of animals leading to violation of law as well as raising question over expertise.

In the Belur instance, the Bench asked the government to examine the loophole in registration of the FIR as accused persons should not benefit from it.

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