Faced with rising incidents of monkeys raiding vegetable gardens, invading homes and attacking villagers in coastal Odisha, the State's Forest and Environment Department has asked its personnel to learn a few tricks from the Mankidia tribe to contain the menace.
"We have asked our field officials to accompany Mankidias, who are skilled in trapping monkeys, and learn some tricks on how to catch the simians," Sudarshan Patra, Divisional Forest Officer of Cuttack Territorial Division, told The Hindu .
"We hope a dedicated group of forest personnel, with skills learnt from Mankidias, will be at work shortly. As a precautionary measure, we have purchased helmets, gloves and nets for our field staff."
Ingenious method
A group of 23 Mankidias from Chattarpur hamlet, near Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary in Balasore district, is deployed in villages of Jajpur and Cuttack districts. On Sunday, nine monkeys were captured from Gopinathpur village in Jajpur, where two villagers were injured in monkey attacks.
So, how do the Mankidias go about catching the cunning animals?
"When we spot a monkey in a tree, we surround the by climbing nearby trees and structures. Once it is surrounded, we shake the tree till the animal falls. A team on the ground, who are ready with a net, quickly trap the animal," said Goura Kheruada, the 50-year-old team leader of the group.
When the Mankidias fail to catch a simian, the forest department officials use tranquilisers.
The trapped animals are released in forests, several kilometres away from human habitation.
Livelihood
The Mankidias, a semi-nomadic tribe, used to hunt monkeys for food.
"After we began residing closer to other societies, we no longer eat monkey meat. We now help catch them,” said Mr. Kheruada.
The Mankidias mainly live inside Similipal Forest in Mayurbhanj district.
The monkey menace is prevalent in Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur and Khordha districts. It has forced many to stop growing vegetables in their backyards.
Protected species
Since monkeys are a protected species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, any attempt to kill the simians invites strong penalties.
However, if certain areas witness an infestation of monkeys, the animal can be declared a vermin, in which case the Act does not apply.
On appeal by farmers, who have sustained heavy agricultural losses due to the menace, the forest department has asked different forest circles to identify pockets where monkeys could be declared as vermin.
The State government, however, has dithered on taking a decision to declare monkeys in the pockets as vermin.
