Monkey menace hits Delhi

Late Mr. Bajwa fell from his roof in apprehension of the simians, but the question is why was the monkey there, in his house?

The answer to this question dates back decades. If we look at the larger picture it is we humans who are in the monkey8217;s homes. That8217;s right! We are bearing the brunt for decades of unplanned urban development. Every time a road is built hundreds of trees are cut, without any intention of ever growing more trees someplace else in compensation.

What then happens to the inhabitants of these trees, they wander on and end up in our homes. Snakes, monkeys and all other such creatures have now become a part of urban wildlife because they have nowhere else to go. There is no green cover.

However, that is not the only reason for that monkey to be in Mr. Bajwa8217;s house that fateful day. The residents of Savita Vihar where this incident occurred say that there is a Sai Baba Temple nearby where people feed the monkeys causing them to return time and again.

This is a phenomenon which contributes in a major way to the monkey menace the capital is currently facing. Monkeys are intelligent animals who learn quickly, when they get food easily from a local temple, they will frequent the place, seldom alone. Just as they will frequent places with food out in the open from unclosed garbage bins and open piles of garbage.

While controlling unplanned urban development is not in an individual or an RWA8217;s hands, controlling free food avenues for the monkeys is. In not feeding monkeys, either directly or indirectly, we will not be doing any sin, because the monkeys will adapt no doubt. What we will be doing is paving the way for peaceful co-existence between city dwellers and the wilderness loving monkeys.