Monkey trouble? Madhya Pradesh forest dept tells panchayats to ‘fund’ the fix

Amid rising complaints of monkey menace on the Madhya Pradesh CM Helpline, panchayats have been told to manage the menace with their own funds, reported Times of India.

Madhya Pradesh’s forest department has issued a circular saying it will no longer pay for capturing rhesus macaques (macaca mulatta), or red-faced monkeys as the species was removed from the Wildlife Protection Act schedules in 2022, and hence, the department has no legal right to capture them, said the ToI report.

The circular has been sent to all collectors and municipal CEOs. It pointed out that people frequently lodge complaints on the CM Helpline portal about monkeys injuring people or stealing food.

“Earlier, action was taken by the forest department, but the red-faced monkey has been kept out of the schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2022,” the circular said.

“Local bodies, gram panchayats and municipal corporations may take action to catch the monkeys, and for this, prior permission of the department is not required. Help from trained institutions may be taken,” it added.

The monkey nuisance were reported from several parts of the state such as Rajgarh, Ujjain, Khajuraho heritage sites among other areas.

People had reported complaints like stealing women’s undergarments, snatching food, prasad raids, and even monkey bites.

Following the development, the panchayat heads (sarpanchs) have been left helpless and scrambling for answers.

“We once spent over ₹1.5 lakh to hire monkey catchers, but the population bounced back. Without a separate budget head, how can villages bear this burden,” Subash Pandey of Badi Itma village in Rewa was quoted as saying by ToI.

He recalled that four years ago his panchayat had paid ₹500 per monkey to catchers from Mathura.

“We thought that would solve the problem, but it didn’t. Five monkeys even escaped from cages and now the population has swelled again to 350. It feels like we wasted money and effort. Women here are so scared they hardly step out to work in the fields or fetch water. Some villagers have even fractured their legs while chasing or being chased away by the animals. If the government really wants panchayats to handle this, then it must create a clear budget head. Otherwise, we are being asked to fight monkeys with empty hands,” added Pandey.