Mumbai: Monkey business in Chembur high-rise!

A troop of monkeys have been giving the residents of Kukreja Residency in Chembur East sleepless nights for over ten days. So grave is the situation in the high-rise, that balconies and windows are kept shut around the clock and some terror-stricken residents have even refused to step out of their homes.

Residents say that the simians, which number 10 to 12, have no problem climbing up to the 14th and 15th floors and they have now started entering homes, stealing food and hurling things from the upper floors. Some of the residents say that the monkeys have even learned to open sliding windows. Kukreja Residency comprises three buildings that have 17 floors each.

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Residents speak

Talking about the menace, Ira Chatterjee, a resident of A wing, said, "Initially, they climbed windows and would station themselves there. Now, they are seen freely roaming in the society premises and close to the ground floors. They have even started hurling things from the upper floors, posing a threat to passersby and children. On Wednesday I was returning home from somewhere with my child. Just as I reached the lift, a glass bottle came crashing down from the fourth floor. We were saved by a whisker. Later I learnt that the monkeys had barged into someone's kitchen on the fourth floor. They were also seen moving flower pots on the window. This has become very dangerous."

Dr Shraddha Durve, who resides in the B wing, said, "They are destroying plants and throwing planters down. They are throwing whatever objects they find. In my own balcony, there were some tiffin boxes. I found them lying on the ground today. Early in the morning, we saw a monkey throwing a soft drink bottle. Our kids are going out to play a little, but we have instructed them to stay very alert. We fear the monkeys might attack them, scratch or hurt them. Because of the monkey menace, my dog keeps barking continuously and is restless all the time."

Another resident, Maya Shenoy, said, "With each passing day, they are easily entering homes, stealing and snatching things. Everyone is the society is scared. They are roaming about freely and if we leave the windows open, they just enter and scatter things in our homes. We have an infant so we are forced to keep our doors and windows shut all the time."

Forest officials step in

As the news and videos of monkeys raiding homes and climbing windows went viral on WhatsApp groups, Janardhan Bodekar, forest round officer and Forest Guard Jyoti Bhonsale visited the society on Wednesday evening. "We have met residents and are evaluating the situation. We are investigating this in detail. Following this, we will conduct an awareness campaign for residents and also take appropriate action," Bodekar said.

Menace on rise across city

Rakesh Bhoir, range forest officer (RFO), Mumbai, said that the forest department has been getting a minimum of 8-10 calls a week about monkeys entering the housing societies. "The incidents of monkeys from forest areas visiting residential colonies have increased because people feed them. People must refrain from doing so and also ensure there is better waste management. On our part, if there are one or two monkeys, we catch them, rescue them and release them into the wild. If the number of monkeys is large, people should use firecrackers to scare them away but at the same time ensure that they do not hurt the animals," said Bhoir.

Pawan Sharma, founder and president, Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) and Wildlife Warden of Thane district, said, "The population of monkeys is increasing rapidly and such incidents [of monkeys visiting residential colonies in search of food] are expected to rise. These incidents are more frequent in areas in the periphery of Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Aarey Milk Colony. However, in Chembur and nearby areas too there have been known simian habitats, especially near BARC, Anushakti Nagar, Trombay, Lal Dongar and the refinery areas."

Sharma added, "Being aggressive and curious animals, they see bamboo scaffolding or gas pipelines. They get an opportunity to scavenge and steal from markets, households and areas where there is edible waste. For us, it is waste but for them, it is an easy food source. There is no set pattern, but most cases come up before or after monsoon. These complaints are all scattered. Recent cases were from areas such as Thane, Mulund, Bhandup, Powai, Chandivali, Andheri, Goregaon, Borivli and Kandivli. This needs to be studied."

12
Maximum no of monkeys spotted