Monkey menace keeps forest officials on their toes

Complaints of monkeys entering residential localities, grabbing things and damaging property have been reported at various places in Tiruchi district, keeping the Forest Department personnel on their toes in recent months. 

Complaints of monkeys entering residential localities, grabbing things and damaging property have been reported at various places in Tiruchi district, keeping the Forest Department personnel on their toes in recent months. 

On Wednesday, a Forest Department team trapped 20 monkeys at Thaluthalapatti village in Manachanallur taluk, acting on complaints from villagers that the animals were creating problems for them in their area.  The trapped monkeys were subsequently released into a nearby reserve forest.

A few days ago, Forest officials carried out a similar operation at Ponnusangampatti village near Kannanur in Thuraiyur taluk. The team put up a cage and caught 38 monkeys and released them safely into the nearby reserve forest.  A Forest Department says complaints of monkey menace have been received from various places in Srirangam, Mannachanallur, Musiri, Lalgudi, Thottiyam and part of Thuraiyur taluks.

Troops of monkeys enter residential localities in search of food and water and grab things belonging to villagers posing problems for them, says the official. There have also been public complaints of monkeys damaging roof tiles in rural areas and posing a threat to children. The problem has kept surfacing at regular intervals prompting the Forest Department to capture the simians by placing cages. 

Axing of trees, including those bearing fruits along roadsides, either for widening them or converting them into four lanes, is a major reason for monkeys entering residential localities in search of food. The cutting of trees along roadsides has resulted in habitation loss for the monkeys besides depriving the simians of food for their survival, the official said. 

Feeding by public and improper disposal of food waste in the rural and semi-urban areas have also kept the issue alive, the official said, adding that the Forest Department has been consistently sensisting the local bodies to ensure proper disposal of food waste in their respective areas. 

The operation to capture the monkeys lasts a few days after placing a cage at the identified location. Some monkeys manage to keep off from the cage, while many of them get trapped inside, the official said.  The Forest Department has trapped over 200 monkeys till now in Tiruchi Forest Range alone in the current year from various locations and released them safely into the nearby reserve forest inside which percolation foods have been constructed, the official said.