Greens red-flag sterilisation plan to curb monkey menace in Karnataka

The government has planned a sterilization drive on male monkeys to address the monkey menace facing farmers in the Malnad region.

But environmentalists are of the view that the sterilization drive or the proposed monkey park are non-implementable.

They cautioned that monkeys may become extinct due to the sterilization drive and this might disrupt the ecological balance, posing a serious threat to the fauna in the Western Ghats.

They have urged the government to take steps to plant fruit-bearing trees on around 10,000 acres of land in Malnad region and nurture them. This is the most natural solution to the problem, they say.

B M Kumaraswamy, environmentalist and former member of the Western Ghats task force, told DH that capturing male monkeys and sterilizing them was an uphill task.

“They don’t stand in queue like humans. Above all, it is against natural justice. For what fault of theirs are you sterilizing them? Humans have encroached forests, the habitat of animals. So, they are straying into human habitats, seeking food. It is unfortunate that elected representatives are turning a blind eye to this.”

Read: Karnataka govt plans to sterilise menacing monkeys

“It is a foolish plan. The destruction and encroachment of forests in Malnad region is the major reason for carnivorous and herbivorous animals straying into human habitats. There are instances where bisons, leopards have strayed into human habitats in Shivamogga district. So, growing natural forest is the best solution for human-animal conflict,” he suggested.

According to Karnataka State Biodiversity Board chairman Anant Hegde Ashisara, monkey menace is prominent in seven districts of the Western Ghats region - Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Hassan and some parts of Belagavi.

Each district has around one lakh monkeys. He urged the government to appoint monkey guards under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme at the village level.

This is likely to prove beneficial for farmers and help them protect crops from the monkeys.

Besides, the government must provide compensation to those who lose their crops due to monkeys, on the lines of the aid for crop loss due to wild animals such as bisons and elephants, Ashisara said.