Monkeys attack residents in Agra

Monkeys attacking Agra residents

Agra: Residents in Agra are waging a constant struggle against monkeys. Perched atop buildings, gates, carts telephone and electric wires, these monkeys are constantly on the lookout for eatables and will attack anybody carrying them. Numerous people have fallen prey to the monkey attacks. "Two persons have died after being attacked by monkeys and, dozens are getting treated for monkey bites. It has become difficult to even walk on streets. Nobody can walk freely on the road if carrying some eatables. The monkeys have become so daring that they snatch it from the hands and are not even afraid of sticks," said Deepak Khare, a resident. The city administration says it plans to capture these monkeys and place them into protected areas where they can access food. An application has been sent to the forest department to seek permission for this exercise. "We have sent an application to forest officials seeking their permission to capture around 2,000 monkeys. We plan to capture them and leave them in a protected area where they can get food easily," said K.P. Tripathi, City Commissioner, Agra. Though the administration is taking steps to eradicate the menace, a permanent solution still eludes the government. Little has been done to curb this menace. People still walk warily to work, armed with sticks and stones to prevent a monkey attack. The depleting forest cover around Agra has given rise to this man-animal conflict. Monkeys resort to venturing towards human settlements in the absence of food in their natural habitat.
-Feb 17, 2009

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