Monkeys have ruined agriculture in many hill villages of Uttarakhand, to the extent that residents have entirely stopped cultivating those crops which particularly attract the simians (Apes,monkeys). In short, monkeys are proving to be a real menace to subsistence agriculture in the Uttarakhand hills.

In a bid to relieve residents of Uttarakhand from monkey menace, the forest authorities in Uttarakhand have decided to set up a rescue and rehabilitation centre for the apes. The centre, which would be established at Didoli village of Nandprayag area in Chamoli district, would work to control the growing population of monkeys besides correcting their behavior.

The project, which is being developed on the lines of rescue centres in Himachal Pradesh where monkeys are kept for a few days for behavior correction and then are rehabilitated back in jungles; is hoped to bring much relief to the people in Uttarakhand who are finding it difficult to save their crops from monkeys.

As part of their intelligence gathering effort, the authorities have already identified 2,300 monkeys the jungles of Chamoli.

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It’s to be understood that monkeys are equally affected by human activity in their habitats. With humans venturing into forests, monkeys no longer find humans a creature to be fearful about. This familiarity makes monkeys visit villages even when, they can find food and shelter in forests. It’s simply: Monkeys eager to eat out of human hands phenomenon.

So, whether you are a urban or rural resident, try to minimize your interaction with wild animals. As a villager, if you visit a monkey’s home in deep forest; then it will also visit your home at least sometimes. As an urban-ite, if you offer a road side monkey, the delicious food you everyday munch on; then just like you and I, why will it bother to eat some wild berry – which has no salt, no added sugar, no oil. Feeding a monkey human food, gives it illnesses and diseases, humans have. Think over it.
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