Officials blame public for monkey menace

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While residents of Kancheepuram and Sholingur demand action to check the monkey menace, local wildlife personnel blame the public for the problem.

The visitors and pilgrims, particularly to Kancheepuram and Sholingur town, feed the primates. They are now used to grabbing eatables from the public.

Those who fail to oblige are bitten or, in some cases, the visitors beat the mischievous monkeys, admit wildlife department sources.

“As many as 60 monkeys that strayed into residential areas of Pillayar Palayam, in Kancheepuram district, were recently rescued, but the feeding habits help the primates breed prolifically and due to depletion of forest cover, monkeys mark their new territories in adjoining temples and market places,” explains a forest ranger in Kancheepuram.

“The clash between monkeys and public over tidbits and meals has been there for decades and nothing much can be done now,” opines another forest official.

Monkey menace in Sholingur hill temple, located near Arakkonam (about 70 km from here) is also on the rise.

Locals allege that the situation is worse and goes unchecked, said Mr P. Logesh, a stock consultant and regular visitor to Sholingur Narasimhar hill temple.

Though Union forest policy insists on 33 per cent fore st cover, the state has only 17 per cent forest cover and Kancheepuram just 7 per cent.

When monkeys lose their habitat, where will they go, asks a senior forest official. Kancheepuram district, known for its large number of temples, has plenty of monkeys, particularly in Chengelput and Maraimalai Nagar.