Telangana launches rural survey to tackle monkey menace

Peddapalli district panchayat officer, Sreemala, said officials will record the details of the menace and submit a detailed report to higher officials.

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has launched a survey to assess the growing monkey menace in villages and determine future steps to address the issue.

The survey will be conducted through e-panchayats, while panchayat officials collect details about the monkey population and its impact on plants, crops, and residents by talking to villagers.

The survey also asks about monkey presence in villages and whether they have caused any problems or fear among residents. The government will evaluate potential solutions to resolve the problems after the results of the survey are published.

Peddapalli district panchayat officer, Sreemala, said officials will record the details of the menace and submit a detailed report to higher officials.

“A report would be submitted to higher officials after the survey, and steps would be initiated based on its findings,” she was quoted by Deccan Chronicle.

As the issue has become a major problem for residents, villagers began adopting different methods to keep them out. While some residents display langur photos outside their homes, wealthier families surround their properties with solar fencing.

According to the DC report, monkey menace has been a key campaign promise during local gram panchayat and municipal elections, with candidates promising to solve it if elected. Some candidates have even hired monkey catchers to win over villagers.

The monkey population has only been increasing even as elected representatives vow to fight the issue.

Monkey menace, in some instances, has even resulted in deaths in Telangana. On April 30, a 50-year-old man in Bhupalapally district was reportedly attacked by a monkey while out on a walk. As he began running, other monkeys from the troop joined, and in an effort to escape them, he fell, sustaining a serious head injury.

Harikrishna was shifted to Jayashankar Bhupalapally Government Hospital, where the doctors referred him to MGM Hospital in Warangal, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Before the incident, a woman who went to dry clothes on her terrace was attacked by a bunch of monkeys. In a state of panic, she ran down the stairs, slipped, and consequently died.