A western tourist was on his first visit to fabulous India. Before his departure from Europe, he had mugged up all available information about India, the people, their way of life, flora and fauna, the weather etc. Thrilling stories told by unsympathetic foreigners like Rudyard Kipling had gone deep into European mindset.
Jaipur, the Pink City, had special fascination for him; its colourful buildings, historic forts, exquisite handicrafts, pristine indigenous culture and costumes and people’s strict adherence to religion, rituals, totems and taboos. He was fascinated.
While on a stroll-cum-sight seeing spree, he found something that puzzled him. He joined a big gathering on the sidelines of a main street to note what all the humdrum was about. A dead monkey lay flat on the ground. A priest with spread out ritualistic items like a cup of milk, a small bowl of rice, vermilion (sandoor), twigs lit into flame and some swastika shaped figure drawn in lime on the ground close to the head of the dead monkey. The clergy was chanting mantras and ringing the small hand bell and sprinkling water over the dead body of the animal. The curious and inquisitive foreigner asked the people around what all that meant. He was quickly told that the monkey had died owing to electrocution and the people and the priest had gathered to perform its last rites.
“But why on earth ritual performance for the dead animal? Do you perform these rituals for all the animals that die either a natural or unnatural death”, he enquired. “No, not that; it is only the monkey who deserves formal burial”, he was informed. This sharpened his curiosity and he persisted with further enquiries. Then he came to know from the by-standing persons that monkey was a special animal for the Hindus because it is closely linked to their mythology. When Shri Ram launched expedition on Sri Lanka to liberate his wife Sita who had been kidnapped by the Lankan ruler Ravana, the army of monkeys accompanied him and supported him under the command of Hanuman. Lord Rama won a victory over his enemy and liberated his wife. The monkeys thus attained the distinction of being the great supporters of truth and ever since the saga of monkeys as celebrated animal specie has come down to the Hindus— the followers of Rama. Thus the monkey got a formal burial like a dead human being.
The essence of this story is that owing to the association of monkeys with Lord Rama, the Hindus in India consider it a sin to kill the monkey or harm him. In this way, the monkeys went on increasing in number in forests and in habitats because they were oblivious of any danger coming to them at the hands of the most ferocious of animals – the human beings.
But today, the same people are harassed, stupefied and hassled by monkeys. Forest have been denuded of green cover because for burgeoning population more land and resources are needed and vast habitats are springing up in close proximity of forests. Fruit trees are felled in large numbers that provided food for the monkeys and other beasts. The monkeys come down to habitats and lay their hands on whatever they can get hold of. Knowing that human beings would not harm them, they have become rapacious and avaricious. They will snatch anything anywhere in any circumstances including from the hands of small children. They are emboldened to enter eateries; scare away the inmates and snatch their food. They not only snatch fruits from a vendor’s cart but also upturn the cart spilling the contents all over the ground and then the whole pack of monkeys swoop down from their hideouts or vantage heights and in the twinkling of an eye make away with the fruit and scale the buildings and trees.
There are some specific areas in Jammu city where monkey menace is maximal. They know the routes for running away in a prospect of danger. They can in one swoop snatch the milk packet from the hands of a person while returning from the shop. They have the audacity of shrieking loud in a prospect of danger and assemble their hordes to demonstrate their ability to attack if cornered. Jammu has been the city of temples. Devotees throng the temples and bring eatables like fruits, milk, sweets, sugar cane, bread etc. by way of offering to the deity. This is almost akin to room service to the monkeys. That is why one finds most of the Jammu temples as the oft visited resort of the monkey. Not only that, there are traditionalists and devotees who have made it a habit to provide eatables to the monkeys as part of their daily ritual.
Away from Jammu, monkeys have fairly wide presence in far off places like Reasi, Ramban, Kishtwar, Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region. They are virtual havoc for the standing crops and fruit trees especially those closer to the forests. In fact they are the source of food security to marginal and small farmers and orchardists. Many orange orchards have been destroyed by them forcing some of the villagers to migrate to other places owing to their rapacity. Last year, the Agriculture Minister told the State Legislative Assembly that major crops, including maize, wheat, rice and vegetables, are being damaged by monkeys on 15,596 hectares of agricultural land in more than 250 villages in Jammu region.
Sometimes when challenged, the monkeys can turn violent and attack especially the kids and old people. They can bite and scratch as they have sharp teeth and nails. They can snatch food stuff from running vehicle without least apprehension of being harmed. While travelling to Udhampur or Ramban, hundreds of monkeys are seen sitting, loitering and somersaulting along the Highway waiting that the passing passengers would throw crumbs to them. In a sense it is a pitiable spectacle that they have to beg for food while deforestation is taking place at rapid speed. Some suggest that their population should be reduced through artificial means.
Whatever be the case, we think that the answer to this menace is to recreate adequate forest cover and plant such trees in abundance in the forests that would bear fruit generally eaten by the monkeys. This will not necessitate them to move out of forests for want of food and become the source of destruction of standing crops, orchards etc. The Department of Forests shall have to devise methods of protecting villagers against this menace.
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