MCD needs more monkey catchers in Delhi, offers higher fee
Despite offering the highest monkey-catching rates in the country ( ₹2,400 per monkey), MCD has found monkey catchers only with great difficulty over the decade.
A month after the Delhi forest and wildlife department classified rhesus macaque monkeys as urban animals, making them the responsibility of the municipal corporation of Delhi (MCD) like community dogs or cattle, as they no longer fall under the ambit of scheduled animals under the amended Wildlife Protection Act (2022), the civic body is strategising to handle the monkey menace more effectively.
The monkey problem has escalated in critical New Delhi and Parliament areas and across the Capital. While there is no official count or census of monkeys in Delhi, according to MCD data, the annual number of monkeys caught has ranged between 200 and 500. (ANI)
On Thursday, a senior municipal official involved with the monkey-catching programme revealed that MCD is launching a recruitment drive for monkey catchers across the country to strengthen its teams. “The more interested candidates we have, the better. Currently, we have only nine monkey catchers for the entire municipal corporation jurisdiction area. We plan to deploy teams in each of the 12 administrative zones. The public notice and advertisements will be published the following week, “ said the official, who asked not to be named, adding that monkeys will continue to be relocated to the Asola Bhatti region.
Despite offering the highest monkey-catching rates in the country ( ₹2,400 per monkey), MCD has found monkey catchers only with great difficulty over the last decade.
The monkey population in the Capital continues to pose a problem; relocating them remains a significant task. This issue came to the fore in 2007 when then deputy mayor S S Bajwa died of head injuries after falling from his house’s terrace after a monkey attack, leading to the implementation of the monkey relocation programme. Since then, more than 21,000 monkeys have been moved to Asola Bhatti wildlife sanctuary.
However, the lack of a boundary wall and natural food sources in the Tughlakabad forest area causes the monkey groups to venture into neighbouring regions.
While there is no official count or census of monkeys in Delhi, according to MCD data, the annual number of monkeys caught has ranged between 200 and 500.
According to PK Paul, the secretary of the EBDP association, the nodal resident welfare association of south Delhi’s CR Park, “Monkeys are becoming increasingly difficult to catch due to their adaptive behaviour and reluctance to get food from trap cages.”
The monkey problem has escalated in critical New Delhi and Parliament areas and across the Capital. Atul Goel, head of Urja (united resident welfare associations joint action), a collective body of resident welfare associations, emphasised the need for a comprehensive plan. “We need to create proper habitats with natural food sources for them. This issue should be addressed in MPD 2041,” he insisted.
Experts believe that tackling the rising monkey population is the key. Dr R Sharma, former veterinary director of the south Delhi municipal corporation, suggested a sterilisation plan similar to the dog sterilisation program. “Research on sterilizing monkeys with Risug is ongoing in AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences). MCD should explore this to control the simian population,” he said.
Scientist-in-charge of Delhi’s biodiversity parks, Fayaz Khudsar, stressed the importance of working towards a long-term solution. He believes managing artificial food security is crucial to control the population, which sterilisation efforts could then follow. “We need to ask, how do we stop people from feeding them?” Khudsar said.
HT reached out to MCD for a comment on the matter, but officials did not respond.
Paras Singh is a New Delhi-based journalist with Hindustan Times, where he serves as Deputy Metro Editor. He reports on urban governance, the Delhi government, the Delhi BJP, water management, the environment, communities and city life. He joined Hindustan Times in 2021 after beginning his journalism career at The Times of India in 2016, where he covered civic bodies, the water and power sectors, and urban infrastructure. Over the last decade, some of his reporting has led to significant public impact, with investigations into environmental violations, corruption and illegal industrial activity contributing to multiple judicial interventions by the National Green Tribunal and the Delhi High Court. A graduate of St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi, Paras studied journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi. Having extensively covered the capital's evolving civic and governance landscape, his recent work increasingly explores Delhi's history, built heritage, urban evolution and the relationship between people and place, alongside continuing to report on governance and public policy.Read More
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