Poaching: Monkey alert for all states, forest depts

BENGALURU: Officials of Forest Department and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), experts and activists are on high alert to check poaching and wildlife crime cases, especially related to monkeys. This is more so after an alert in this regard was sounded by the WCCB to all states and Forest Departments. Even though forest officials and experts said no cases of transportation of live monkeys were detected, the recent incidents of the finding of monkeys in sacks could be the tip of the iceberg of such cases. 

A conservationist working closely with the Forest Department said use of live animals for lab and chemical trials is a big menace and the recent deaths of Bonnet Macaques in Karnataka could be a part of it.

“Live monkeys are in demand and the ill, injured or weak could have been disposed in sacks. There is also another theory that the rising man-animal conflict was the reason for the death of the monkeys. The lookout notice does ring a bell,” the conservationist said. 

Conservationists pointed out that in the 1990s, Beagles were used for trials and after a lot of effort it was stopped. The alert should not be ignored as a one-off as governments are working to control their population. On the other hand, cases of attacks on humans by monkeys are also being reported, especially in tourist areas, due to increasing incidents of tourists feeding them. 

An official of WCCB told TNIE that the alert was sounded based on certain cases coming to light in the past. A close watch is also being kept on ports and other areas from where monkey can be transported. Border check-posts have also been kept on high alert. 

“This is first time such an alert has been called for any specific species. So far, monthly and seasonal alerts are issued like poaching of owls during Diwali or pangolins and star tortoise round the year. But no special alert for monkeys was issued so far,” said a senior Forest Department official.