Hyderabad: Monkeys are proving to be a menace in several residential colonies in the city. Residents of Barkatpura, East Marredpally, and Brahmanwadi have reported more than 11 attacks in last week. Morning walkers, vendors and auto drivers at auto-stands have complained of sudden attacks by monkeys, resulting in bruises and minor injuries.
“I was attacked by a monkey when I was walking in the morning last week. It was on the tree and I think some people who came to the park before me tried to shoo it away. So, when I was passing by, it attacked me. A couple of my neighbours have also complained about the same. The monkeys must be relocated to avoid any harm. We have complained, but in vain,” said P. Joshi, a resident of Barkatpura.
The GHMC veterinary section is the authority to address this issue. They are supposed to rescue the animals and rehabilitate them in the five animal shelters in the five zones of the city. “We receive about one such complaint every week. We relocate them to the nearest shelter and when we have a sizeable number, we approach the forest department which tells us where they must be shifted. Male monkeys that are brought here are sterilised,” said Dr Govardhan Reddy, assistant director, veterinary section, north zone, GHMC.
Dr Venkateshwar Reddy, chief veterinary officer, GHMC said this is a common phenomenon during summer when monkeys don’t have enough food or water and migrate to cities for their basic needs.
“We have to be very careful while rescuing them and not injure them. Once they are rescued, it costs us '950 per monkey for food, health and medication. Relocating them back to the wild is a little difficult as not many parties involved cooperate with this. The forest department has too many rules and regulations for letting off these monkeys into the wild. We are just veterinary doctors and not trained to trap or relocate them. We are the only city in the country to have these shelters,” Dr Reddy said.
Animal groups such as Sahayog and Bharatiya Prani Mitra also deal with the issue. “Last year, a monkey had carried away a newborn baby from the Government Maternity Hospital in King Koti. The hospital has more than 40 monkeys. Despite several complaints to the GHMC, it is not taking serious measures to remove them.”said Mahesh Aggarwal, animal expert at Sahayog and special officer at the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.
