A team of the department visited the station on Thursday and set up a trap cage near the Station Master's cabin on platform number 1
For the past four days, a stray monkey has been troubling Lower Parel residents. The monkey has been raiding vegetables and fruits from vendors near the railway stations as well as nearby buildings and has also attacked a couple of people.
With the monkey regularly visiting the platforms as well as the Foot Over Bridge (FOB) at Lower Parel railway station, the Railway officials on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the Thane forest department. A team of the department visited the station on Thursday and set up a trap cage near the Station Master's cabin on platform number 1.
Ankit Vyas, an animal rescuer from Kandivli who assisted the forest department in setting up the trap, said: "It's an aggressive alpha male and has even attacked a couple of people, including one railway official. We tracked it for over an hour on Thursday but it kept giving us a miss as it was first on platform number 1 from where it took the FOB and went on to the east side, and then disappeared."
Vyas informed that they even spoke to several locals as well as shopkeepers outside the station and they all requested that the monkey be trapped. They claimed it kept snatching food and other things from people.
"The monkey has regularly been visiting the railway station and moving on the FOB. We are worried about the safety our commuters as during peak hours there can be a stampede like situation on the FOB if the monkey attacks someone. Hence, we have requested the forest department to trap the monkey as soon as possible," said a railway official.
While the forest department has set up the trap with fruits kept as bait, they doubt that it will enter it. "We have already tried on Thursday, and seeing the size and alertness of the monkey, we doubt it will be trapped. We have spoken to the officials from Sanjay Gandhi National Park as well and if required we will dart the monkey on Friday to capture it," said a senior forest official from Thane forest department.
NOT AN EASY TASK
While the forest department has set up the trap with fruits kept as bait, they doubt that it will enter it. “We have already tried on Thursday, and seeing the size and alertness of the monkey, we doubt it will be trapped. We have spoken to the officials from SGNP and if required we will dart the monkey on Friday to capture it,” said a senior forest official from Thane forest department.
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