Monkeys wreak havoc in Bandipora villages

Bandipora, Oct 4: Residents of several villages in north Kashmir's Bandipora district are feeling unsafe as monkeys have begun plundering during the harvest season.

This is happening in the absence of wildlife officials, who, according to villagers, would usually control the wild animals to some extent.

The most affected villages include Ahatmulla, Ahemshreif, Chekreshipora, Panar, Bilal Colony, and Chiternaar.

Notably, these villages are located near forests where monkeys are a common sight throughout the year. However, as the villagers, who primarily depend on horticulture, are in the process of harvesting apples, the monkey population has doubled in recent years. This has now become a daily headache for the villagers, posing numerous challenges.

"They are aggressive and not only endanger horticulture but also attack villagers," said Mudasir Ahmad Wani, a local advocate from Ahatmulla village.

Villagers say the "monkey menace" is not decades old but has emerged in the past ten years, forcing them to abandon agricultural produce. Previously, they supplied vegetables to much of the town, but "not anymore."

The villagers explain that this caused an "economic blow," and to compensate for the losses, they turned to horticulture. Apple orchards now cover large areas.

However, over the past four to five years, the "growing population" of monkeys has once again put the villagers in a difficult position, causing them to question their business choices. The clever monkeys "outsmart" the guards who have been recruited to keep watch for this very reason.

The guards, along with their families who stay in the orchards during the season, are "often targeted" by the aggressive monkeys, and sometimes sustain injuries, giving rise to a "man-animal conflict," according to the villagers.

Wani said they have contacted the authorities numerous times, but "nothing has happened." Locals blame the wildlife department's inefficiency, noting that the increasing number of visitors to the Chiternaar forests, a nearby picnic spot, has contributed to the rise in the monkey population.

Wani added that the situation is particularly concerning this year because the "wildlife officials stationed for this purpose last year have been transferred." He explained that these officials were locals who were "invested in the issue," and that now "it feels as though the wildlife department no longer exists, despite the control room in Chiternaar."

He also mentioned that the situation in the district's wildlife department is dire, as even casual employees who previously did their jobs have given up due to non-payment of salaries.