Macaque monkeys unleash terror in Dergaon

From a Correspondent

JORHAT, July 31: Dergaon public is perhaps divided into two sections in its war against the terror unleashed by the monkeys of Missamara, Negheriting and Dergaon. While a section is demanding license from the State Government to kill the monkeys in large numbers, others like ture’s organization ‘ASHROY’ is advocating ways to control  the terror by serial sterilization or containing the monkeys within a 24 bigha plot of land and netting the entire area in a bid to prevent escape. The monkeys of late have resorted to eating even those vegetation and crops which they had earlier refused to eat and experts believe that loss of habitation and scarcity of food has forced the monkeys to undergo behavioral changes.

It is in this regard that ‘ASHROY’ organized a State-level meeting in the Dergaon Girls’ High School on Sunday to discuss ways to find a lasting solution to the mece and invited many noted citizens, including forest department officials and scientists from the Assam Agriculture University, for a thought-provoking process. Dr Padmeshwar Gogoi, retired Professor of DR College, Golaghat said, “Missamara is the worst affected with damage to the crops planted by the poor farmers. To stop monkey-human conflict, the people must take a concentrated effort to revive the lost habitat, besides planting fruit yielding trees. It must be ensured that the trees grow to the full length. This is one measure perhaps to restrict monkeys from coming into contact with the urban population.”

“Mere translocation to other reserve forests like the mbor forest will not suffice because langurs will not allow the Macaque to survive in their territories,” said Dr Padmeshwar Gogoi. ASHROY’s secretary Sanjay Hazarika stressed the need of mass sterilization of the monkeys to keep them at bay. The secretary gave an example of how the Himachal Pradesh government has contained the monkey population by sterilizing each monkey at the cost of Rs 1,000. From 3,17,512 monkeys in 2004, the rate has come down to almost 2 lakh monkeys in 2015. Secretary Sanjay Hazarika said, “In view of loss of food the monkeys have started infiltrating first rural and now even urban houses and instances are there to prove that the monkeys have also started preying on meat substances. This is alarming because changing food habit is likely to make the monkeys carnivore which might then pose a threat to the human race.”

Forest Officer Rajen Kr Das (AFS) said, “There is a Bio-Diversity Magement Committee (BMC) in force in Dergaon and through the committee we had asked the people to allot us 24 bighas of land which after netting will be developed into a monkey habitat. But the matter slowed down due to some apprehensions. Nevertheless, there has been a tremendous change of the behaviour of the monkeys which is a great threat. However, the monkeys found in Dergaon are not included in Schedule I list of species like the one-horn rhino. Monkeys are easily available and that is why we give less importance. But their growing population is a threat to mankind. This abnormal growth of monkeys is mainly due to the decreasing number of leopards which had helped maintain an ecological balance. We must devise scientific methods that can control monkeys. But I must say that monkeys are afraid of the Lushai tribe. In case all methods fail to control the mece we can ask for the favour of the Lushai people to thwart off monkey aggression.”