City over-run by monkeys, forest dept turns tail

Despite the death of three-year-old Mohammad Arbaz following a monkey attack, the forest department has done little to check the menace.

Despite the death of three-year-old Mohammad Arbaz following a monkey attack, the forest department has done little to check the menace. And the simians are proving hard to control — owing to the religious sentiment attached to them. So much so, even a plan to sterilise them has fallen flat.

On November 1, as the boy and his sister were playing on their rooftop in the Old City, a group of monkeys descended on them. The 7-year-old girl managed to run down the stairs, but Arbaz fell from the terrace and died. His father Islamuddin had appealed to the district authorities to come to the aid of the hapless citizens. But no concrete step has been taken so far.

Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), UP, BK Patnaik said, “We have been discussing the issue, but no decision has been taken yet.” The sterilisation process has been implemented with some success in Shimla, but in UP, it will cause a massive furore, said a senior Forest Department official.

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Recently, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan Yakoob and his younger brother Naseem were s arrested for killing a monkey in Titawai, Muzaffarnagar. The locals staged a demonstration when they came to know about the incident and an FIR was registered against the two.

Over the past fortnight, nearly 55 monkeys have been trapped in Lucknow. But transportation and relocation is proving a problem, an official said. If the monkeys are released in the nearby forests, they come back. “We have a limited budget and infrastructure. In the absence of experts, we had asked a team of unregistered monkey catchers for help. But now that they have gone, we are helpless,” he added.

Cops have a new challenge
The next time you go to the Kakori police station, do not be surprised if you see a man sitting on one of the trees — disguised as a langoor.
This was the best idea the state police could come up with after a monkey attack during the thana divas celebrations on Saturday. The monkeys had tried to snatch food from some children. When people tried to shoo them away, they were attacked and there was complete mayhem.
The police say they are helpless, for the forest department has already thrown in the towel.
JP Singh, Station Officer of Kakori, said the monkeys make no distinction between cops and visitors. “In response to our regular complaints, the Forest Department said they have only one monkey catcher who cannot be spared”, said Singh. So, after discussing the matter at length, “we are now planning to post a constable dressed up in a monkey costume — tail, black face et al,” Singh added.

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