Shivamogga monkey menace... Time for evolving new wildlife management practices on scientific lines.

Monkey menace in shivamogga has been a topic of discussion after chief minister Yeddyurappa took to task officials for not managing the problem effectively.

Bonnet macaque proliferates in urban environment and multiplies endlessly due to easy availability of high calorie human food and absence of predators. 

Hanuman who is culturally worshipped as monkey God, makes the subject sensitive as any population management decision to be taken by state on monkey, ends up invoking a cultural sentiment & becomes an emotional limitation. 

In such catchy situation it is pertinent to note that even in ancient times during Ramayana, Mahabharata, Ashoka Empire, The King, as head of the state, was often requested by people to manage human wildlife conflict and to give relief to people by killing wild animals that are causing problems to human society. We can see references of these events in every historical scripture.

Whether it is tiger, bonnet macaque, wild bore, or any other wild animal for that matter, In today's context from the management point of view it becomes important to define certain area as no wildlife zone.

If wild animal is out of its habitat and its existence has become dependent on human habitation, and due to free availability of food and lack of predators the population is proliferating, then decisions should be taken in human interest as wild animal are out of their habitat in human domain.

It is high time that the state government should consider shivamogga as a priority and declared bonnet macaque as vermin to manage the population.

Section 11 of Wildlife protection Act 1972, provides chief wildlife warden powers to declare a particular animal as vermin and designate a season to manage them.

It is high time that Monkey population which has gone out of control in Shimoga district should be tackled with a professional management point of view, by having a scientific manageable population defined. 

To execute it, It is important to draw baseline data on existing population. With proper Scientifically enumerated data, the excess population of macaque can be brought down to 1/3rd of the available number. Assuming that if natural predators were present they would have controled the population and kept the number check. 

The plans of monkey park are emotional reactions to the situation with very little scientific and veterinary thought to it and there is no guarantee that it is going to give solution to the problem. Rather it may expose greater threats like Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) and wipe out all the animals in one shot.

Sudheer.K.S

Advocate for wildlife conservation.