By: SHEKHAR MASTA
Shimla, Himachal Pradesh: The Himachal Pradesh government has for long been struggling to find a solution to monkey menace in the state. Farmers have for long been complaining about the havoc these simians create those related to the tourist industry too have been victims in a way. The government at one time imposed a ban on feeding these descendents of Hanuman but it seems people are too devoted to the monkey god to be deterred. But now moneys are turning out to be serious business (and that means business) that could yield some dollars to the Himachal government. The Tajikistan government has offered to import monkeys from the Himalayan state. Himachal has the largest monkey population, about 10 lakh, and the forest department has already rounded up some 500 monkeys to reap in dividends.
Monkeys as such have also become a matter of concern for the Supreme Court of India. These simians, virtually ruling the corridors of power in Delhi and playing the cat-and-mouse game with hundreds of households in the Capital’s residential areas, are facing imminent transportation to nearby states. To say that monkey sena has terrorised bureaucrats wouldn’t be an overstatement. Once they ripped apart top-secret defence documents. In another instance, they were found enjoying the merry-go-round using the empty revolving office chairs.
There are several such stories. Residents also complain of assault and plundering of their domestic gadgets like refrigerators. Now, the Supreme Court has ordered that 300 monkeys nabbed in Delhi would be shifted to the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh. Recently, Delhi announced an award of Rs 1,000 each for catching a stray cow. Monkeys and cows are animals that are revered by a large number of hardcore Hindus. Both these animals are quite dear to religious stalwarts. They are as much vocal against simians’ posting to central India’s forests as much as cows being caged.
Monkeys have a sense of justice. A research conducted in the US says monkeys don’t lose their tempers against their own partners and prefer to mind their own business unless their involvement is necessitated due to certain circumstances. But, monkey watchers in India might differ with this US research. Here, monkeys are known for intimidating passers-by by snatching sweets from their hands and harassing children. The court’s mandate may bring cheer to the harassed lot.
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Why do Tajiks need to import monkeys ? Are they monkey meat eaters ?? That’s a sensitive issue for Hindus who see them as our ‘ancestors’ and rever them.
There seems to be no effective solution to the monkey menace we face. But I thought there are some worthy of consideration.
1. Tranquilise them and operate them so that they don’t multiply could make them more violent, afterall they are also social animals. Operation “Operate by force” launched by late Sanjay Gandhi in mid seventies did not succeed even for us humans. We are one billion and growing.
2. Export them to Tajikistan..’worshippers’ or Animal rights activists will protest.
3. This option probably can work. Trap them and distribute them in all nature parks or wild life sanctuaries all over India. Living with wild animals will automatically strike a balance in the monkey population.
Who foots the ‘trapping & distribution expenses’ ? Government can levy “monkey trap & distribution tax” on all Temples. If temples are not in large numbers, construct a few more Hanuman Temples which are quite an attraction to our ‘ancestors’. This would also create employment opportunities in terms of priests and support staff. Sanskrit language will be saved from extinction because priests need to know it for chanting hymns. Fix electronic chips on all temple monkeys. Fix a ceiling on the number of monkey who are free to roam around. Electronic chips can at any time tell the numbers. Send the extra ones to sanctuaries..ceremoniously.
A part of the monetary collection at temple can be utilised as suggested above. Devotees will keep coming to temples. Offerings will continue to flow. The system becomes viable.
Dharmender Singh Pathania
That’s quite a tongue-in-cheek suggestion.
Why we always discuss problems only ? Why we never discuss the solutions ?
In Himachal, you see monkeys on both sides of the road because people have cut down the jungles and there are no more fruit trees left. Earlier there used to have fruits (mangos, Ber, blue berries, figs, guava, oranges etc.) all around the year in all the jungles. As there are no more fruits all around the year for them, therefore they have left with only two options. Either beg their food on the side of the roads or destroy the grain fields.
As a group we have three options:
1) Read this news on different newspaper and keep forwarding to others.
2) Each individual plant atleast 10 fruit trees in jungle near our villages in HP.
3) Let’s brainstorm more ideas in the right directions.
Dhanyavaad,
Swadesh Katoch
The news posting held importance as Himachal which is already infested
by monkeys will get more as Delhi government releases them in Himachal,
meanwhile Himachal is trying to transport most of them to Tajikistan.
And the menace created by them - a person not putting up there or never
being affected by the damage done by monkeys won’t understand that.
Considering the problem, a few years ago, the HP government captured the
monkeys from Shimla and released them in the jungles near Jubbal and
Rohru. But friends, it’s not a question of planting trees here. The
monkeys have been acclimatised to cities and not jungles. Instead they
choose to infest the crops and orchards. I myself being a victim. And
trust me, I not only plant apple trees but other wild trees as well -
Deodar, Kail, Robinai, Cheed, Kunichch, as well.
Besides I have about 2000 apple trees and many other fruit trees as
well. But I certainly cannot afford to see my orchard being ruined just
in minutes by the same monkeys approaching from the jungles into our
villages. I have seen the monkeys creating havoc in minutes.
Though working in Delhi even today at the time it requires i do move
back to my village back in Jubbal ( 115 km from Shimla) to take care of
my orchards but still a person can not be there at all times, though
keeping a watchman there, for last two years I have personally
experienced that once a huge gang of monkeys enters into the orchard and
by the time you are able to move them out - a part of the orchard has
already gone through its fate.
Believe me friends that these are not just my words or this is not just
my voice but the voice of each such person who would certainly join
hands with me against any such cruel action by the Delhi Govt.
The only reason i wanted to get this on to the Forum was to find a
suggestion to stop any such action in the future or at least find out a
way that how to bring the same in notice.
Regards
Shekhar Masta
Dear Shekhar,
I can understand the agony of a person who has been a witness to the
hoardes of monkeys destroying crops, fruit trees etc. Monkey menace is
not new to Himachal. The place where I lived in Simla had its own share
of nuisance inflicted by these avatars of Bajrang Bali, like snatching
food from children, tearing apart the clothes left for sun drying,
barging into the homes and pinching rotis, vegetables or even dough.
Even sweetmeat shop owners and vegetable vendors were not spared!!
I myself have been bitten once..but fault was mine because I had hit a
small one with a stone so retribution by the head of the clan was swift
and excruciatingly painful.
It is doubtful, whether Insurance companies would provide compensation
for damage to crop inflicted by monkeys. They have slowly transformed
into entities whose sole objective is to collect premia but not
compensate the victims.
They can be transported to other places but it should be done in groups.
Being clanish and territorial, they are smart enough of to locate their
lost members. Will HP Govt. do that ??
Ever thought of providing electric fencing around the orchard ? It could
be 5-6 feet high with alternate wires charged while others are simply
dummy. Shouldn’t be expensive. Wires are very thin and naked and can be
easily supported on wooden props. Please check the following link for
inspiration.
http://extension.unh.edu/Pubs/AgPubs/Apft5214.pdf
You could also ‘trap’ a replica of a ‘dead monkey’ on this fence to
keep them at bay. They always warn clan members of impending dangers.
Monkeys are also scared of snakes. Hang couple of them, of course,
artificial ones, from the trees. But then you should be able to
defferentiate the artificial ones from the real ones who might be
lurking around!!
They are also scared of gunfire. Could play a recording of gunshot or
bursting of a big cracker at regular intervals. This device could be
kept inside a scare crow having a menacing apperance.
You need to keep on working out alternate means of keeping them at bay.
I have read a small experiment conducted on a dog kept in a cage. The
objective was to condition the behaviour of the dog to an external
stimuli. A bell rings, dog raises its ears, observes its environment and
after sometime becomes normal. Half an hour later bell rings again, dog
raises its ears, observes and then gets a nasty blow of a stick and
starts crying. One hour later, bell rings and dog starts crying
eventhough it has not been beaten!!
You see sometimes you need to play psychologically with these souls to
condition their behaviour to your advantage.
Above will not certainly not regulate the monkey population which could
only be achieved by transporting them to other places, far way from
their territories but could provide a respite from the mental agony of
having to suffer the loss of crops.
I hope above was useful.
regards
Dharmender Singh Pathania
Dear Pathaniaji,
All your suggestions are very good if you are the only one in that area. All these suggestions are not good in India. In India, we are dependent on each other i.e. we are dependent on our neighbours.
If Shekar will use any of these suggestions then monkeys may not enter his orchard but they will start destroying his neighbour’s orchard. If his neighbour will do then they will go to another village. So this is not a solution.
Recently, Swami Ramdev has made a list of seven different Ayurvedic plants (like Tulsi, Bheda, Aambla etc..) and suggested to grow these seven plants in our neighbourhood so that we can have healthy neighbourhoods. We have to come up with similar solution.
In my last mail I had suggested that these monkeys are entering into our homes and destroying crops because they have nothing left in the jungles to eat. The only solution to this problem is to grow more fruit trees in the forests and these fruits should be available throughout the year.
India is the only country in the world where we have six seasons in a year. Let’s make a list of six seasonable fruit plants like mango, pears, figs, ber, peaches etc… that we can get all around the year in our jungles. We get mangos only in July-Aug and same is true with other fruits.
There are over 350 members in this group and most of these are from Himachal. Let’s adopt 10 big jungles next years and let’s grow these fruit trees in these jungles. We will start getting fruits in next 3-4 years.
Shekhar, you are already spending so much money to pay other people and then for gaurding these orchards. One fruit plant cost Rs. 15 only. Even if there are 50-60 trees of each type in a jungle per season then these monkeys will not destroy these crops. Or atleast it will be very less.
Let’s find out a solution instead of looking out for escape plans. Suggestions are welcome.
Dhanyavaad,
Swadesh Katoch
Swadesh Bhai mere,
Sun meri baat J.
Any fruit tree will mature atleast in 3-4 years time and produce fruits or berries which these monkeys will relish. Horticulturists are yet to make a breakthrough in developing a seed which would grow into a fructifying oak tree with the batting of an eyelid.
So, for the interim period one has to face the agony of seeing hard labour going down the drain.
The link I had forwarded earlier showcases a very elaborate plan for electric fencing.
Here is a simple one. Check the photos IMG_1892 and IMG_1886 in the following link;
http://photos.yahoo.com/dspathania2001
under album “OpenAirMuseum_Lynby_Copenhagen_24Sep2k6″ for a simple type of electric fencing used for keeping a work horse or a draft horse inside the enclosure. I can’t show electric insulators because my intention was to photograph the horse not the fencing.
This doesn’t cost a fortune and even neighbours can opt for it. Its height can be raised to an appropriate level. Needless to mention that collective bargaining would also be advantageous to orchard owners.
It needs to remain energised during day time only. I wonder whether monkeys also carry out nocturnal raids.
How do orchard owners protect apples from hail storm… a different type of calamity ? Some of them pay through their nose to buy costly nets which are then flung over apple trees to prevent hailstones damaging apples. Apples damaged by hailstones are as good as bitten by monkeys, i.e. good for nothing.
So far as Swamiji’s advice is concerned, it looks good if people have plenty of free land around their abodes otherwise it seems impractical in view of the fact that most of us either live in apartments or row-houses which have a yard length of terra firma in front and back.
If one happens to live in a busy lower bazaar or middle bazaar, one can only afford to grow tulsi, marigold or cacti in tiny flower pots hanging precariously from the window frame and waiting to bang the head of a man in the street. (`man in the street also means a common person like meJ)
How sure are you that these 350 members (excluding me) will not start competing with those monkeys for picking those fruits, after all growing fruits is not simply burying a seed or planting a sapling and assuming that things will automatically be taken care of. One needs to nurture and protect these plants from the vagary of elements and animals till they are fully matured. Members would definitely like to relish the fruits of their labour.:)..I suppose so.
Sometimes you need to decimate monkey population and for that you need to be a bit tough and keep aside the scriptures. This is a worldwide practice of controlling animal population. Monkeys are also a source of rabies and other contagious diseases. The excreta of a sick monkey strewn in grass is good enough to affect other animals such as rabbits, goats, sheep, porcupines and birds like pigeon, quail, partridges which end up on our platter as a delicacy.
There is no shortage of swamiji’s in this country who claim to have panacea for all the ills & evils our society is plagued with. You can find one ashram at every 100th milestone in India thronged by fat cat ardent devotees jostling with each other to have his holy darshan and get deliverance but would refrain from lending a helping hand to a roadside leper pestered by flies & maggots and gradually rotting into a carcass.
Sorry no offence meant here. I do believe in God but also believe in the adage-God helps those who help themselves.
Cheers
DS Pathania
http://www.kencove.com/GuideManual1.php
This one would act as psychological barrier instead of a physical barrier.
regards
DS Pathania
We have suggested whatever we could. Now, it depend on the farmers to choose the method they want.
Hi there,
Diversity of opinions is no doubt painful but it leads to the best possible solution. Western management institutes teach such concepts in class but little do they realise that tark-vitark aur mantikh (tark shastra) is a sequel to hard wired behavioural trait of the Argumentative Indians!!
Who knows by this time Shekhar might have come up with a radically different innovative idea to contain monkey menace.
regards
DS Pathania
Thanks Pathania ji….in addition to your logical answer; I admire your collection of “Snaps”…..
If you have a collection of Himachali Photos as well please do send across..
Manish Gupta
Dubai
Dear Manish,
Thanks for your feedback. My last trip to Himachal in April 2006 did not
take me beyond Parwanoo because of intense Brownian movement. Thanks to
Samosa’s and Chaat papadis of Sector Seventeen Sindhi Sweets .
At present I don’t have any photos of Himachal. I hope to visit Simla
during Summer of 2007 and would click a lot for a new album.
Dharmender Singh Pathania
Following provides inspiration for a battery energised electric fence. Electric fence doesn’t mean that one has to have a huge genset for keeping it charged! Regarding maintenance it has no moving parts so where is the idea of huge maintenance costs popping up?. I think apple growers can afford to buy couple of second hand automotive batteries and few kilometres of cheap thin metal wires.
http://www.kencove.com/GuideManual1.php
You need wooden props or bamboos to support wires. The purpose is to give a shock instead of electrocuting, smoking & roasting a monkey. Reconditioned 24 V automotive batteries would suffice. A 12 volt dry cell battery gives quite a nasty shock to humans.
Above method would act as a very effective psychological barrier.
The cheapest of the lot solution is to contruct a machaan with a canopy at a vantage position in the orchard, gulp down a bottle of local liquor, keep beating an empty P-Mark mustard oil tin canister with a stick and keep yelling hee-haw-hoo at the top of one’s voice to keep monkeys at bay!! Those who have had the experience of being farmers know this technique.
In the event of the cheapest option also not becoming economically viable…then one should pray in the local Hanuman temple so that monkeys can become civilised.
Otherwise they can switchover to growing potatoes and ginger which grows below ground and monkeys will not be keen to dig them out!!!
One could also think of introducing Monkey meat in local restaurants. If people can consume fish, poultry and meat then what stops them from consuming monkey meat which is a delicacy in various countries including Japan. It just needs a change of mindset.
Operating monkeys to stave off ther reproduction capability is a novel idea, we could ask New Delhi to deliver monkeys straight into IGMC and provide interns the unique opportunity of operating our ancestors instead of humans who are more keen to multiply..so that vansh parampra bani rahe. Who should foot the bill and why for such a massive exercise if we are not going to pay a ‘operate monkey cess’?
regards
DSPathania
hi friends,
regarding monkey menace ,it is a population problem. then why cant we adopt the technique we adopt for human beings? that is family planning !!! that is , all male monkeys of a particular group should be vasectomised (or the females) .therefore there will be no offsprings, we just need to care for them for a few years.vasectomy is a fairly simple operation,inexpensive and recovery is quick. .i dont see any moral or religious objection where there is none in case of human beings . the onus for vasectomy etc should be on the party who is displacing them(in this case ,on delhi). it can also be used for stray dogs etc. any moral or religious objection from anybody? though practical problems can be huge. but so is the case always. whether this or that, i am convinced that the solution has to be a natural one. mechanical devices like electric fence will be too expensive to install ,even more expensive to maintain.
regards
surajit
Even BBC discusses monkey menace in India.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6128210.stm
Urbanised monkeys in rural setting…really a cultural shock to monkeys and nuisance to villagers.
Dharmender Singh Pathania
Copenhagen, Denmark.
Oh,dear!
Do not kill wild animals.Introduce big cats and other predators,who can eat up the monkeys and keep the balance of the monkey populations.Keep these monsters away from human populations.Do you have enough specialists for this purpose? If not contact me.