Fresh monkey census likely in HP

A fresh headcount of monkeys to make the latest assessment of the extent of human-monkey conflict on the ground is on the cards.

A fresh headcount of monkeys to make the latest assessment of the extent of human-monkey conflict on the ground is on the cards,after increased demands from affected farmer groups for need to review the state wildlife departments strategy of dealing with them.

Talking to The Indian Express,Chief Wildlife Warden-cum-Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) AK Gulati said,There is certainly a need to review the current facts and manner in which the human-monkey conflict is being managed. We are still in the process of chalking out a road map and timing of a fresh survey of status of monkeys and the method.

One of the crucial components of the state governments present strategy is sterilisation of monkeys for birth control,as they breed rapidly. The fresh enumeration would also be the first review of the short term impact of sterilisation of monkeys,even as the method is pegged to show impact in the long run. So far,nearly 30,000 monkeys have been sterilised and this year alone the number has touched 14,000.

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The April-July period is seen as the ideal time for a new census and a second survey may be done in December,as the counting has to be done after observing their breeding season.

During the years 2003 and 2004,a census of monkeys was conducted in Himachal,which was the first of its kind in the country and 3.17 lakh monkeys were counted.

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