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Monkey count dips 33% in state, claims survey

Their troupe size, number of hotspots also reduce
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Pratibha Chauhan

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Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 16

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A survey on monkeys in the state has indicated a 33.5 per cent decline in their population, besides reduction in their troupe size and hotspots.

The survey was conducted by the Salim Ali Center for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on December 4 and 5 last year. It states that the simian population has reduced to 1.36 lakh compared to 2.05 lakh during the previous survey undertaken in 2015.

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“There is a decline of 33.5 per cent in the monkey population in the state. Moreover, their average troupe size has also decreased and hotspots too have come down from 263 to 226,” said Dr Savita, Principal Chief Conservator Forest (PCCF) and Chief Wildlife Warden. The survey was conducted in all districts of the state barring Lahaul and Spiti.

Savita said that the monkey population had come down due to the efforts of the wildlife wing of the Forest Department through its multi-pronged strategy, including sterilisation.

According to the report, the simian population has decreased because of various measures adopted such as sterilisation, better garbage management, widespread public awareness campaigns, habitat enrichment model adopted by the state and the declaration of rhesus macaque as vermin in 91 tehsils and subtehsils, besides in the Shimla municipal area.

“Eight monkey sterilisation centres are operational in the state where 35,000 simians are sterilised every year. As many as 1.62 lakh monkeys have been sterilised till date and the birth of more than five lakh monkeys has been prevented,” said Savita.

She added that efforts were on to plant scrubs and fruit-bearing plants so that monkeys move to forests — their natural habitat.

“The most important aspect is to stop complete feeding of monkeys through a proper disposal of garbage,” she said. Only when food supply to monkeys was stopped that they would start moving towards forests, she added.

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