Sterilisation drive to combat monkey menace in Almora

ALMORA: To curb the increasing menace due to monkeys in Almora city, the forest department has established a sterilisation centre near the Almora zoo where at least 92 monkeys have been sterilised so far.


Officials of the department told TOI that the drive aims to sterilise 1000 monkeys this year. The forest department has also coordinated with the municipality for the success of this campaign.

Speaking to TOI, KS Rawat, divisional forest officer, Almora, said, ‘We are sterilising the monkeys with the help of veterinary doctors of the animal husbandry department. However, as the sterilisation centre is not very big, at least 40 new cages will be installed at the centre and permanent veterinary doctor will also be deployed so the target could be achieved sooner.”

The step has been taken in view of the incidents of monkey attacks in the attack. “In many incidents, people have suffered injuries due to monkey attacks. We have also sent a letter to Harak Singh Rawat, state minister of forests, in this regard to help the city administration deal with the menace,” Prakash Chandra Joshi, Almora municipality chairman, told TOI.

Kamlesh Singh, a resident of Dugalkhola, said, “Monkey menace has become severe in the city. Children fear venturing out of their homes due to the fear of monkeys. Even adults are being attacked. So, we back the initiative but the authorities must speed up the process to provide immediate relief to the city residents.”