MADURAI: Residents of Melur town and surrounding areas have recently put up posters at several locations in the region, accusing the forest department of failing to take action against the growing monkey menace in their neighbourhoods, despite their repeated complaints.
Although the town is nearly 2.5 kilometres from Arittapatti, Alagar Kovil hill range, and the nearest reserve forest areas, large troops of monkeys often stray into residential areas, damaging houses and posing a threat to public safety.
T Prakash, a resident of Melur South Street, told TNIE that the issue has worsened over the last few years. "Most houses here have thatched or tiled roofs. Monkeys often damage the tiles, enter houses in search of food, and destroy household items. Recently, an elderly woman was injured after monkeys threw stones at her after she tried to chase them away from the roof of her house," he said. Prakash claimed that, despite submitting a series of petitions to the forest department, no effective action has been taken so far. "Left with no other option, residents have put up posters demanding immediate intervention," he added.
Farmers in the Melur region said that monkey troops roaming near the Alagar Kovil hill range intrude into their farmland, resulting in significant losses to them. Jeeva, a farmer from the area, said fruit-bearing trees and vegetable crops are the worst affected. "Monkeys raid fields in groups and destroy crops overnight. We urge the forest department to come up with a permanent solution," he said.
District Forest Officer (DFO) (Madurai) Revathi Raman said the department has been taking several measures to address human-monkey conflict in the region. He said, "Whenever monkeys cause damage to public life or property, cages are installed to capture them, and the animals are relocated to their natural forest habitat."
According to the DFO, a total of 110 cages were installed across the district last year and 240 monkeys were relocated. He added that awareness campaigns are being held to discourage the public from feeding monkeys, as it attracts more animals into human habitation and alters their natural feeding behaviour. Additional steps include buffer zone enrichment through planting fruit-bearing indigenous trees such as tamarind, jamun, and banyan deep inside reserve forests, frequent joint patrolling in sensitive areas by field staff, and the use of modern wildlife rescue equipment.
Meanwhile, animal activists stressed the need for a long-term, humane solution to prevent the human-animal conflict. They suggested the creation of designated feeding zones away from residential areas to reduce the chances of monkeys entering human settlements and to minimise injuries to both people and animals.