Plight of the rhesus macaques

There is a wildlife sanctuary called the Moti Bir on the outskirts of Patiala,punjab.There is a considerable population of wildlife here.the most common mammal species seen here is the rhesus macaques besides blue bull,wild boar,hare,a few hog deer and civet cat.
The existence of these animals is under threat because of the ever increasing population and development taking a toll on the agricultural fields bordering the park on which these animals feed. One of the main reasons why these animals come out of the sanctuary is because there is non availability of food in the sanctuary .With time fruit bearing trees died and were replaced with commercially viable acacia and eucalyptus trees by the wildlife authorities. The outcome of this is that the animal population is dwindling except for that of the simians.these monkeys have got into a habit of being fed by people who travel on the road bordering the park.As a result they are mostly seen sitting by the roadside which puts them in great danger of being run over by fast moving traffic. On an average almost one monkey is killed or maimed everyday just because of the carelessness of the authorities and us common people who think we are doing a good deed by feeding the monkeys.

It is sad to hear about the condition of the Moti Bir sanctuary. I feel most of the sanctuaries are facing this problem. With the growing human population we are encroaching on their space and food requirements. The forest department should plant more fruit bearing tress than the exotic trees as you have mentioned.

There was similar problem near Bandipur in Karnataka, where the highway passes through the National Park. People used to drive fast and also stop to feed the animals.

After escalating the issue to the Forest department, steps were taken to stop traffic movement at night and also there were patrolling cars to check if any tourists stop inside the park boundary. I am not sure if the patrolling is still effectively done.

More awareness need to be generated among people asking them to not feed the animals and drive slowly while passing through the sanctuary. Are any local NGO's working on this?Thanks for sharing the details.

there are no NGO's working for the plight of wildlife across Punjab as far as my knowledge goes.The people on being questioned as to why they feed these monkeys, the standard reply was "it is their religious and moral duty to feed the followers of lord RAM".There is no patrolling undertaken by the forest department
even during the night let alone in the day time.even the fencing is broken at various places along the road.

By feeding we are making them dependent on us. Feeding is an easy task and also helps people feel good that they have done something. Planting fruit bearing trees is not as easy as throwing food at monkeys. However, if people can come together one can make make a start by teaming up with the forest department and planting trees. Normally, the forest department is averse to let people plant trees, lest they claim ownership. However, one can always convince them.

When I was working in Nokia, I had tied up with the forest ranger and the villagers to plant 12500 trees in four villages. We can certainly seek permissions fromt the forest department.

After planting trees, the next step is to protect them. Generally planting trees during monsoon helps, as you don't need to water it. Do you find cattle grazing in that forest area?

However, one should also understand that it will take some time for the trees to grow and bear fruit. One challenge is that people mostly pluck these fruits like custard apple, guava, amla etc and sell to the passing vehicles on the road. That reduces the amount of fruit for the wildlife like macaques, sloth bears etc.

As far as feeding monkeys are concerned, one should remind people that Punjabis don't like to beg. That good trait is not found in other people. If you don't like to beg, then why do you encourage begging, although the beggar in this situation is the macaque. Let the monkeys not be forced to begging. Let us first ensure that there is food naturally available. Awareness has to be raised.