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Himachal Govt. to take steps for sterilisation of monkeys

No monkey business this: A man dressed as a tiger trying to chase the monkeys back into forests.

Shimla: Concerned over rising number of monkeys and the simian menace, the Himachal Pradesh Government on Thursday announced it would initiate various steps including sterilisation of the animals on a war-footing.

Districts affected by monkey menace would be identified and local youths be involved in the process, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said at a meeting held under his chairmanship here, an official release said.

Youths would be provided training in capturing and sterilisation by experts, he said.

All such trained youths would be eligible to get remuneration and engaged as contractors to achieve the targets, he said.

The project would benefit the farmers and the unemployed youth, Mr. Dhumal said.

He said funds would not be any constraint in execution of the project and possibilities to be explored to procure central government funds under similar projects.

Efforts would be made to expand the capacity of the existing zoos to accommodate the wild animals caught so that their population in the natural habitat was controlled.

The possibility would also be explored to develop concentration camps where natural habitat could be developed for the wild life, especially monkeys, to confine them to its limits and protect farmland from being encroached upon by them and crops damaged.

Mr. Dhumal directed the wild life department and forest department to draw a plan to create natural habitat for the wild life by planting the species of natural feed trees which could meet the food requirements of the flora and fauna existing in the state.

The Chief Minister emphasised the need for carrying out a massive plantation all over the state to increase the forest cover on the one hand and provide natural habitat to wild animals.

He said possibilities would be explored to associate local unemployed youth in creation of natural habitat.

Quarterly reports were required to be submitted to the government by every executing agency and if needed reports in between would be called for in selected cases, Mr. Dhumal said.

Checking monkey menace particularly for farmers formed an important constituent of manifesto of all the political parties in the State. -- PTI

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