Monkeys plague Bangalore

Adding to water and power woes as well as summer heat, the city is now battered by monkey menace. Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) wild life cell has been receiving over 20 calls a day with residents complaining about the simian menace.

At many places, primates have stopped eating from trees and started eating from flats/houses which now act as fast food joints for them. They get aggressive if they are suddenly denied food and have been found to raid any food source.

Radhika Raman, a resident of Rajajinagar said: “We live on the third floor; it is easier for monkeys to climb to the balcony from the trees. If we leave the balcony door open by mistake, they enter the house, catching us off guard.”

Some fear that monkeys threaten their children. Mini Shekar, an IT Professional, said: “My kids are terrified when they see them out in the balcony. We know that they can be aggressive. We can shoo them away, but kids are totally helpless.”

Sharath, an official with BBMP Wild Life Cell, said: “The monkey menace is an around-the-year phenomenon. We get almost 20 calls daily. They only target high-rise apartments. No strategies have been formulated for managing this issue.”

What attracts apes into our living rooms? Some residents consider that feeding monkeys is their religious obligation. “Harming them is seen as offensive. Garbage, especially of edible items, like milk packets and left over vegetables, too attract monkeys,” Sharath said. Deforestation due to rapid urbanisation also has forced primates to leave their natural habitats.

Some residents think it is better to relocate the primates. But it can be done only after obtaining permission from the Forest Department.

So, till government officials come up with an effective step, the residents have to fend for themselves.