Statesman News Service
MALDA, Jan. 27: In a move to counter the monkey menace, Malda forest department is laying cages in select areas to trap the animals.
According to divisional forest officer, Mr Rajedra Jakhar, a cage would be set up at Kothabari in English Bazaar town and another at Bulbulchandi - a rural town in Habibpur block.
The residents of English Bazaar town and adjoining areas have been facing problems over the past few months due to the herds of monkeys that frequently invade domestic areas in quest of food.
According to official sources, at least 50 persons sustained varying degrees of injury last month in Bulbulchandi area alone. The rampaging monkeys, whose numbers are steadily growing, are triggering widespread panic in the region.
In Malda town itself, residents of Baluchar, Puratuli and Makdampur are living in fear, as monkeys are regularly sneaking into homes, stealing food, destroying household items and even damaging water tanks. If the animals are obstructed, they become furious and assault people with impunity. Even the firecrackers burst by residents to keep the animals at bay are proving ineffective.
Forest officer Mr Rajendra Jakhar, said: “We are somehow helpless before this growing menace. If we were to trap some of the monkeys, we would try to release them into distant forest areas and provide them with sufficient food”.
Mr Jakhar added that a food shortage in the forest was not the only potential reason for the monkey's mass exodus to domestic areas: “Monkeys are sometimes compelled to flee their traditional habitat if it is being attacked by other, seemingly more powerful groups. They are then found wandering about in search of greener pastures. Hunger and helplessness make them desperate.”
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