Chandigarh: Terrorised by over a hundred simians, the natives of Sirthala village in northern Punjab have now launched a drive to capture the errant animals. The increasing number of monkeys has disturbed the peace in the area and children and women armed with sticks are now out to nab the culprits who have caused immense damage in the past several months. Monkeys are omnipresent - on fields, rooftops, at markets, over electric poles and generally across the length and breadth of the village. Residents said that walking on the streets alone could be risky, as a few instances of monkeys attacking passers-by have also been reported.

     "The monkeys bite whoever crosses their path. They take away our belongings and tear apart clothes that have been hung out to dry. No matter how much we try to scare them away, they still don't budge," said Harminder

Residents of Sirthala village prefer to carry a stick while going out as a precaution.

Singh, a villager. Repeated pleas to the authorities to control the simian menace have fallen on deaf ears, laments Singh. However, officials say that steps are being taken in collaboration with the departments concerned to deal with the situation. "Departments like animal husbandry, and the wildlife department can be contacted to deal with the monkeys. We would initiate an enquiry in co-ordination with other departments and action would be taken to tackle the problem, " said Tarinder Singh Dariwal, sub-divisional magistrate of Payal town in Ludhiana district.

     Worshipped by Hindu faithfuls across India as the incarnation of monkey-faced god "Hanuman", the monkeys, more often than not, turn out to be a nuisance. A rough estimate suggests that the number of monkeys in Punjab has crossed 50,000. Monkeys moving to villages from forests in search of food are not uncommon. Observers say growing pressure on environment has led to depletion of the animals' habitat. Ever declining green cover meant the simians were forced to enter the populated areas.
April 7, 2005