The Solution to Monkey Attacks in India

When I lived in India, an American friend of mine there told me that he could always tell how long a westerner had been in India by how he or she felt about monkeys. Those visiting or newly moved to India would exclaim, "Oh, look at that cute little monkey!" but those who had been there for some time would express a different sentiment upon seeing a monkey: "Those filthy creatures!" That was certainly the experience for me. Wild monkeys in India may be cute, but they are anything but sweet and gentle.

According to India Today, Lajpat Nagar, one small neighborhood in New Delhi reported more than 35 monkey attacks on humans in only one month's time. The attacks included bites, breaking into people's homes, and vandalism. It is actually worse in some neighborhoods in Delhi, such as the Yamuna colony of Mayur Vihar, where people arm themselves with sticks, rods, and even firecrackers before they dare to leave their homes. The overpopulation of monkeys is certainly not confined to jungles; Mayur Vihar is referred to as a "concrete jungle" where the majority of people live in apartments made of concrete.

To compound the problem, monkeys often run and attack in packs, making them that much harder to fight off. When one Delhi man came home and found a monkey sitting on his dining room table, he chased the monkey outside, only to encounter and be attacked by five other monkeys. He managed to beat them off, but only after he was bitten several times.

Even worse, according to India Today, in the Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, located near the Jama Masjid neighborhood in north Delhi, monkeys have attacked doctors and have even tried to run off with newborn babies.

Rich, poor, influential people and those who are barely noticed all suffer from the invasion of the monkeys. In fact, according to Yahoo News, a few months back, the deputy mayor of New Delhi was killed when he fell from his balcony while trying to fight off monkeys during an attack.

The cause of the fight between man and monkey is blamed on several factors. First, the monkeys' natural habitat, the Delhi ridge is being depleted, so more monkeys have moved into the city looking for food. Second, many people in India worship Hanuman, the monkey God. As an act of worship, they put out food for monkeys every Tuesday and Thursday, days that are considered sacred for Hanuman. Additionally, garbage filled streets beckon to the monkeys to set up their homes in the city.

India, a country where many animals are considered sacred, is hesitant to kill any animal. In fact, India Today states that the Wildlife Protect Act, 1972 only permits the killing of rats, mice, and the common crow. However, there is a provision that animals may be killed if they are a threat to human life.

In spite of that provision, most Indians will look to another way to control the situation such as monkey attacks that have resulted from the overpopulation of monkeys in India. One such idea in one northern Indian state is to hire unemployed Indian youth to sterilize monkeys. This idea was immediately condemned by conservationists who say that the plan is not scientific and will make the matter worse. They are concerned that sterilization is cruel and that poorly sterilized monkeys will be more aggressive and only add to the problem of frequent monkey attacks.

Although the conservationists may have some valid points, they don't seem to have any better ideas of how to handle the ever increasing monkey attacks in India. Surely, something needs to be done about "those filthy creatures."

Sources:

India Today: Rage of The Rhesus By Anshul Avijit

http://www.india-today.com/itoday/20010409/monkey.shtml

Yahoo News: Unemployed to Sterilize Monkeys in India by Gavin Rabinowitz

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080104/ap_on_re_as/india_monkeys;_ylt=AjyljPreh5F9fO.9auHa7swBxg8F