Delhi: Monkey census may start in July

Forest officials said the survey proposes to use an app to make entries and will facial recognition technology to ensure the same monkey is not counted twice

Delhi may finally be able to put a number on its simian problem with forest officials saying that a proposal for a year-long monkey census, drafted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), has received the nod from the Delhi Cabinet and will likely begin from July this year once the Centre releases funds for the project.

To tackle its monkey problem, Delhi’s forest and wildlife department wrote to WII in December last year, asking them to create a fresh plan to carry out a monkey census in the Capital. (Arun Sharma/HT Archive)

Forest officials said the survey proposes to use an app to make entries and will facial recognition technology to ensure the same monkey is not counted twice.

To tackle its monkey problem, Delhi’s forest and wildlife department wrote to WII in December last year, asking them to create a fresh plan to carry out a monkey census in the Capital.

“A fresh plan was sought from WII and this has now received the cabinet’s nod, after being sent to the Delhi environment minister for approval. Unlike the previous plan, which was to be spread out over five years and required considerably more funding, this census will be only for a year and can be extended further, if needed. We are hopeful of starting it by July onwards, based on when we receive an approval from the Union environment ministry,” said a forest department official, asking not to be named.

A five-year plan to carry out a census had been approved by the Delhi government in 2019 and it was due to start from April 2021 but the project, which was to cost around ₹12 crore, was delayed due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown and was subsequently scrapped.

A second forest official said public participation will be key in getting Delhi’s simian count, adding that residents will be able to download an app developed by WII for the purpose. “The general public can submit their own photographs and videos which will be added to the existing database. Users can also possibly alert about high man-animal conflict areas. The app will have a facial recognition feature to avoid counting the same monkey twice,” the official said.

The monkey menace in the city has increased manifold over the last two decades but Delhi has never conducted a census to track its numbers before.

In 2007, a senior government official fell to his death after being attacked by monkeys at his home, prompting the Delhi high court to order the relocation of monkeys to the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary.

It is estimated there are around 25,000 monkeys at the sanctuary, based on a 2018 submission made to the Delhi high court, but locals near the sanctuary have claimed that the monkey have been escaping the sanctuary and moving to urban pockets nearby, especially around south Delhi.

Faiyaz Khudsar, scientist in-charge at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park (YBP), said a monkey census should not be too difficult to execute, adding that capture and re-capture techniques are often used to track other animals too. He said the monkey count in particular has been increasing at a rapid rate, largely owing to people feeding them and providing them food.

“If camera traps or shots are captured in an area over a period of time, all monkeys in the area can be identified by a software and can be differentiated based on their body size and facial features. To control their numbers, one has to ensure monkeys are not fed at common points as it provides them food security, which is a key trait in any animal breeding freely. In the absence of food security, the animal will think twice before breeding,” he said.