For monkey census in Delhi, forest department reaches out to wildlife body

The committee was constituted on the orders of the Delhi High Court, issued during the hearing of a petition on the population of monkeys in the city and their conflict with people. It includes representatives from the veterinary services of the MCDs, representatives of the animal husbandry unit of the Delhi government, and the Deputy Conservators of Forests.

The Forest Department has already written to the WII, said a senior official. The intention is to identify those areas where the monkey population is in conflict with people more often, the official said.

The department also intends to request the WII to train monkey catchers for their “skill upgradation”. The WII will be requested to prepare a module for training animal handlers and catchers.

Monkeys that are caught by the MCDs are released at the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary. The enforcement committee had also noted that before releasing monkeys at the sanctuary, the Deputy Conservator of Forests should arrange to verify and examine the medical certificate from a veterinary doctor certifying that the monkey is free from communicable diseases.

“When the monkeys are brought to the sanctuary, the veterinary wing of the MCD concerned certifies that they are fit to be released into the sanctuary. If this certification is not available, we keep them at the rescue centre here and observe them for 15 days. If there are no complications, we release them. We have a limited veterinary set up, while the MCDs already have established veterinary wings,” said an official of the South Forest Division.

At the meeting of the enforcement committee, the Chief Wildlife Warden also suggested that the Development Department of the Delhi government may provide veterinary doctors to the Forest Department on deputation, if they are available.

In 2018, the Forest Department had been considering sterilisation of monkeys and had submitted an affidavit to the High Court with timelines for the same. This, however, is now off the table, another senior official of the Forest Department said.