Karnataka’s arecanut farmers have a new problem to add to fungal infections and the price slump: monkey menace.
Common langurs, a protected species under The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, are helping themselves to flowers and nuts. Not much can be done about it and killing the animal attracts punishment. Crop losses due to wild animal conflict are mostly covered by compensation, and farmers expect they will get funds, but Department of Forest does not honour claims for damage caused by langurs on the grounds that it is a semi-domesticated animal that can reside in forest as well as in human habitats.
Agumbe is particularly hit. N. Prakash, a professor in animal pharmacology at Veterinary College, Shivamogga who hails from Hebri near Agumbe says deforestation has distorted the food habits and behavioural patterns of wild animals in Malnad region.
Turned socialThe lion-tailed macaque, a shy primate that used to spend the major part of its life in the upper canopy of trees has now turned social and its members seek food from travellers along Agumbe ghat. The langurs can be seen feeding on flowers of the arecanut tree, locally known as singara and on tender nuts. Arecanut is rich in arecoline, an alkaloid that gives a unique taste and aroma to it. In addition, arecoline is nitonic acid-based, with a psycho-stimulant quality. Such factors may be attracting monkeys to arecanut plantations, he said.
Crop losses caused by common langurs is acute in Agumbe and surrounding areas. Hasirumane Nandan, President of Agumbe Grama Panchayat says, monkeys captured by urban local bodies in Shivamogga, Davangere and Udupi district are also released into the forest in Agumbe region. As the food habits of these monkeys are different from their counterparts in natural forests, they raid agricultural fields, he said.
Compensation petitionsThe Malnad Arecanut Marketing Cooperative Society (MAMCOS), representing the growers has written 11 letters to Department of Forest in the past two years seeking compensation for the crop loss caused by langurs. Nagesh Dongre, Managing Director of MAMCOS said, there was no response from the department. MAMCOS recently passed a resolution demanding that the department pay compensation for the loss caused by langurs, he said.
Ramesh Hegde, President, Zilla Adike Belegarara Sangha, an organisation of arecanut growers, said monkeys sip the juice from the tender arecanut and throw it away later. Even after they are satiated, they continue to pick tender arecanuts and throw them away.
In many North Indian States, crop loss caused by the common langur is compensated. When Minister for Forest and Environment Ramanath Rai visited Agumbe last month, farmers submitted a memorandum to him seeking permission to install ultrasonic monkey repellent device, that generates sound to scare away the langurs. The department has not yet sanctioned permission for installation of the device, he said.
