In Attappady and surrounding areas, monkeys hold the key to the electoral fortunes of the political parties this Assembly election. People in the area say they will vote for whoever promises to tackle this growing problem.
Monkey menace in the area has assumed alarming proportions. Simian army marauding tribal hamlets and causing extensive damage to crops and property is a hotly debated topic this election season and has emerged as one of the key campaign issues in Mannarkkad Assembly constituency.
Sitting MLA N. Shamsudheen of the IUML, who is also the UDF candidate this time around too, says he is aware of the problem. “More than a political issue, this is a matter of livelihood. A joint effort cutting across party lines is the need of the hour,” he says.
“Until a few years ago, it was a stray monkey which used to enter residential areas. However, now they come in groups and eat the crops and it has become difficult to drive them away,’’ said R Vellingiri of the Mamanna tribal settlement. According to him, a lone monkey moving around in the locality has started attacking people and domestic animals.
“Kids and goats are the main targets of the monkey which roam around in our settlement. It bites and causes injury. Despite repeated representations to Kalkandi range office of the Forest Department, nothing has been done,’’ he said. According to K.A. Ramu of Karara, there has also been increase in the population of the monkeys and over the years they have become fearless. “As the forest cover has reduced drastically their access to food has also reduced, and when the monkeys don’t get food, they come out of the forests and start eating our crops. The root of the problem is habitat loss,” said Naseer Usman, a farmer at Agali.
