Monkey menace in Nurpur sparks fear among residents

In Nurpur town, monkey attacks on residents have become an almost daily occurrence. Over the past month, three persons, including a child and an elderly woman, were reportedly attacked by the growing monkey population. Herds of monkeys are often seen running across rooftops in nearly every corner of the town.

Previously known for damaging crops in rural areas, the simians are now a growing problem in urban neighbourhoods. While children and women were once their primary targets, men and youngsters are also being attacked. This rise in human-monkey conflict has instilled fear in the local population. The monkeys roam freely from morning to evening, disrupting daily life.

Efforts by the state government to control the situation have largely failed. The sterilisation campaign launched during Virbhadra Singh’s regime remains largely inactive, with the monkey population continuing to increase, particularly in the lower regions of Kangra district. Many farmers have stopped growing crops like maize, as monkeys wreak havoc on their fields. Without a government strategy to combat this issue, agriculture is suffering, and farmers are abandoning their lands.

Local residents, including Pradeep Sharma, Subhash, and others, have appealed to the state government to direct the forest department to catch the monkeys and relocate them to distant forests. In 2022, the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act removed monkeys from the list of protected species, transferring the responsibility for handling them from the State Forest Department to local urban bodies. However, these bodies have done little to address the problem, and no clear guidelines have been issued by the state government.

Amit Sharma, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Nurpur, stated that the forest department had caught 150 monkeys last year and 50 more this year, sending them to the sterilization center at Gopalpur Zoo near Palampur. He assured that the sterilization efforts would continue until March of next year. However, residents remain concerned, as the monkey menace shows no signs of abating.