Gurgaon: New agency captures 50 monkeys in first drive

The agency was changed due to allegations that the previous agency was harming animals while capturing them.

An expert team of an agency hired by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) for catching monkeys conducted operations at Bandhwari village, Gurgaon-Faridabad toll, near condominiums located on the Golf Course Road and at sectors 55, 56 on early Wednesday morning and caught 50 monkeys.

According to the agreement between the agency and MCG, the agency is paid Rs1,500 per captured monkey.

This is the first drive undertaken by the agency, a Mathura-based one, which was hired by the MCG recently.

Monkey menace has turned into a problem for Gurgaon residents in the recent past. According to official figures, around 500 cases of monkey bites were reported last year.

The locations where the drive was conducted are areas that have a high concentration of monkeys, where the most number of incidents of biting was reported.

According to MCG, around 20,000 monkeys are estimated to be present in the city and are mostly found in DLF areas, Golf Course Road, Mehrauli-Gurgaon (MG) Road, Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, and Palam Vihar.

“The MCG carried out the action where monkey menace is the highest. In the coming days, all areas under MCG’s jurisdiction will be covered. The entire process of capturing the monkeys was recorded by cameras in the presence of wildlife department officials, to serve as evidence that animals weren’t harmed by officials in any manner,” SS Rohilla, public relation officer of the MCG, said.

MCG officials stated that the monkeys were released in areas outside MCG’s jurisdiction after being fed and given a health check-up.

According to the agreement between the agency and MCG, the agency is paid Rs1,500 per captured monkey.

The Mathura-based agency was hired by MCG on January 11, ending months of absence of an agency for carrying out the monkey capturing process.

Officials are also attempting to form a complaint centre, in case any resident wants to submit a complaint in regard to the monkey capture process.

Last year, MCG had allotted the task for the monkey capturing process to multiple agencies but had to cancel the same after claims of poor execution and harm to animals.