DHARMAPURI: Despite the forest department's repeated warnings not to feed wild monkeys in the forest area, tourists have been constantly providing food to wild monkeys. Now, this has become a headache for the residents passing through the forest area between Madame and Hogenakkal, as tourist spots have been shut due to flooding in the Cauvery.
Forest staff have urged the tourists not to feed the monkeys.
Hogenakkal, among the key tourist sites in Dharmapuri, attracts around 10 lakh unique tourists every year. Tourists must pass through a 10 km forest stretch connecting Madame and Hogenakkal, where wildlife thrives.
Apart from the occasional elephant sighting, macaques are also spotted frequently. These macaques settle along the roadside, hoping to get food from the passing tourists. Now, with tourism closed in the area, commuters passing through this route say these monkeys have become a menace.
P Dhandapani, a resident of Hogenakkal, said, "The monkeys are a common sight in Hogenakkal and they thrive as passing tourists often offer fruits and biscuits. Over the years, they have developed a habit of residing near the tourism site. Now, with the number of tourists reducing due to the closure of the tourism area, they are struggling to tide through this season."
R Krishnan, a tribal resident, said, "During the summers, the forest cannot provide food for the large number of monkeys. With developments in tourism, they get food more easily from the roadside. There have been incidents of monkeys being hit by vehicles.
There have also been incidents of people being attacked by monkeys; in most cases, they just threaten the people. Now with a reduction in the number of tourists, these monkeys have become a menace for the locals, stealing food, opening cars or snatching food from people."
Officials in the forest department said, "We have put up several awareness boards across the road between Madame and Hogenakkal, urging people to stop feeding wildlife. We are also constantly monitoring the road to ensure that monkeys are not fed or injured by tourists. They must understand that feeding the monkeys disrupts the food chain and impacts the environment."