Monkey menace plagues Malleswaram

Monkey menace plagues Malleswaram
Deccan Herald

A group of 10 or 15 primates getting inside the homes, classrooms and offices, picking up food and stationery, breaking things, are not pranks Bangaloreans are willing to put up with.

The monkey menace in some pockets of the City, especially Malleswaram is turning out to be a nightmarish experience for the people.

“It’s a regular problem in our school. We have a group of monkeys coming now and then. They enter the classrooms, pick up books and tiffin boxes. Often they come during the lunch time and snatch food from children. It’s a scary situation,” said Mr Prahalad Rao, principal, MES Kishore Kendra, Malleswaram.

The residents of Malleswaram complain that monkeys get inside their homes and destroy things while they watch helplessly. “They first attack any food item that is in sight. If there’s no food, they even open the refrigerator and take out whatever is there. When we chase them away, they pull down the clothesline and tear the clothes, pluck the flowers and uproot the plants,” said Ms Geetha Suresh, resident of Anandi Villa, 6th Main, Malleswaram.

The situation got so out of control that the owners’ association of an apartment on 13th Cross, Malleswaram recently sought the help of the Range Forest Officer Venugopal and Sarat Babu, senior manager, People for Animals (PFA) - an animal welfare organisation in the City to control the monkey menace.

According to Sarat, people are largely responsible for “inviting” the primates. “For many people, monkeys have a religious significance hence they feed them. The result is that the primates have gotten so used to getting fed by people that they have stopped looking for food from natural resources. Monkeys are not territorial animals, they are wanderers. They will go wherever they get food. To stop the monkey menace, people should stop feeding them. They should also dispose the garbage properly,” said Sarat.

The Urban District Forest Officer Parmesh said he has been receiving calls from people of other areas like HSR Layout, Koramangala, Jayanagar, Whitefield and GKVK, among others, regarding the monkey menace. “Whenever it is possible we catch the monkeys and release them in the nearby forests, after taking the permission of the Chief Wildlife Warden,” he said.

“Handling the monkeys is not a simple issue because of the religious-cultural-social aspects. People should not feed them because it encourages them to frequent the areas. There are not many groups of monkeys in the City. There could be two-three groups, who have migrated from nearby places like the Big Banyan site, Ramnagaram, etc,” said Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden A K Varma. He added that the Forest Department has sought the help of certain NGOs like PFA to handle the menace.

“They catch the leader of the group or the dominant male and release him into the forest. The rest of the them naturally disperse away,” he added.

But people complain that calling the private agencies is not an easy thing. “They charge Rs 500 to catch one monkey,” complained Mr Prahalad Rao.

PRECAUTION

Don’t feed the monkeys

Don’t make faces at them; they feel challenged

Dispose your garbage well

Make loud noise to chase them away

If bitten, wash the wound with soap water and savlon; seek medical advice Call Forest Dept on 23343464. 23346846 on working days between 10 am & 5 pm