Maharashtra: Group of monkeys that attacked school students captured, released in wild

A group of monkeys who attacked a student of class I at a school in Jummapatti near Matheran was trapped on Monday with the help of the Wildlife Protection and Animal Protection Association (WAPRA) and forest department.

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Monkeys used to stay in the hill station of Matheran and since there were no tourists, they migrated to Jummapatti and the foothills of Matheran during the lockdown in search of food. (Representational/File)

A group of monkeys who attacked a student of class I at a school in Jummapatti near Matheran was trapped on Monday with the help of the Wildlife Protection and Animal Protection Association (WAPRA) and forest department.

Geeta Patil, principal of the school, said, “There is a group of three monkeys and a baby monkey that used to regularly charge at the students. On February 24, a girl student, Pradnya Akhade, was attacked and bitten by a monkey. We took her to Neral dispensary but she had to be taken to Ulhasnagar for further treatment.”

Range Forest Officer Umesh Jangam of Matheran range said, “There is a group of rhesus macaque monkeys. These monkeys regularly stole the tiffins of students. We called a team of catchers and three monkeys were trapped on Sunday while one was trapped was on Monday. We have released this group in the wild, much away from human habitation.”

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Atul Kamble, a rescuer with WAPRA, said, “It appears that one male monkey had died near an electric shop from a high tension wire. The group of monkeys did not leave the spot after that and believed that the students were responsible for the death and have been attacking the students for the past two weeks.”

Monkeys used to stay in the hill station of Matheran and since there were no tourists, they migrated to Jummapatti and the foothills of Matheran during the lockdown in search of food.

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