Stop feeding monkeys, let forest dept handle it

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A Malad woman paid a price for her kindness as she tried to feed a biscuit to a monkey. She approached the animal and offered it biscuits after it entered her shop and sat on the fridge. The monkey did not take kindly to the offer and ripped across her face. She had to take stitches for the injury.

Locals informed that the monkey had recently lost a baby and was extremely aggressive. It had also tried to hurt a child but failed. Whether those theories have credence one would not know, but this should teach us an important lesson to keep at a distance from these creatures, even if we feel sorry for them.

Today, we see and hear of monkeys in residential buildings, on rooftops, sometimes inside commercial buildings. Monkey menace, say the reports, highlight increasing monkey-people conflict, not near forests or green areas but in the heart of the city.

We need to keep an arm's length from these monkeys as kind intentions notwithstanding these animals can attack and bite. They can be very dangerous and we must desist from feeding them or inadvertently encouraging them.

First is the unpredictability as we do not know what they will do upon seeing any kind of gesture or outreach as a provocation. Second is the definite danger if and when attacked. They are certainly a very big problem if there are infants or small children around.

Certain locals and even residents tend to feed these monkeys, considering their arrival as auspicious, or a good sign. Even if one is moved by the sight of the simians and thinks that it is the right thing to offer food, one should not do so. Call the forest department or a responsible organisation if these wild animals are regularly spotted in a certain place, so that the experts can tackle this.