The Nepal Weekly 
December 3, 2024
“Monkey menace” is a term used to describe the growing presence of monkeys in human environments, and the conflicts that arise from this. In Nepal, the monkey menace is a result of a number of factors, including: Monoculture cropping, forest fragmentation, habitat degradation, and changing agricultural practices.
Monkeys can cause significant damage to crops, including fruits, leaves, shoots, roots, and grasses. They can also steal belongings from people. When people try to stop monkeys, the monkeys can become aggressive and turn to attack people.
Monkeys in Nepal are giving locals and authorities troubles with sleepless nights. Newspapers bring out number of reports of monkeys raiding households in villages. Meanwhile farmers dread harvest season, fearing raids on their ripe maize. Monkeys like maize, but so do farmers, as it provides a good return on their investment.
Nepal has three species of monkeys; the rhesus macaque, Assamese macaque, and Hanuman langur. But reports of conflict are largely linked with the rhesus macaque. This species is well-known for being able to adapt to humans.
More to note that Nepal currently lacks reliable data on its monkey population. So as the real size of problem is beyond to estimate, although the serious discussions around it suggest as this problem is actually a big one.
There are different thoughts on monkeys to control. Some say they should be culled to control to some extent.
Experts indicate that monkey reproduction rate has been increased. They also mention that increased forest area in the country is another reason for monkeys to grow their population.
Some other say that monkeys are not finding enough food in the forests as such they come out for searching foods. Moreover, the crops ready to harvest are the target of the monkeys.
Thus, the monkeys are pouring water in farmers’ investment that eventually impact to the national economy even at a nominal scale.
Some ideas based on traditional practice and innovative have been brought into action to drive or control monkeys to save the crops, food grains, fruits or households stuffs. Noise making by beating tin boxes, slingshots and sound guns (scareguns) made of pvc pipes have been experimented. But monkeys are smart enough to be habitual to ignored such ‘driving methods.’ Moreover, in some places, elected authorities plan to cut the trees to reduce shelters of the monkeys as well.
Wildlife experts argue that culling to some extent may be a solution. As culling is part of wildlife management and it has been done in other countries. We should do it, if needed. But monkeys are considered sacred animals for Hindu communities. The Buddhists also cannot green signal to this idea as they believe in non-killing. As such, the sentimental values stand worthy.
Some other suggest that catch the monkeys and export them to various experiment activities specially in medical fields.
Monkeys turned so aggressive to the defenders that people themselves should be back. As a serious consequence, farmers leave farming, even leaving the village to remain safe from monkeys.
In Oita, in 2021, Japanese farmers lost ¥2.2 million to crop damage from Japanese macaques (Snow Monkeys) who came from the Takasakiyama Monkey Park, a popular monkey reserve at the base of Mount Takasaki. Agricultural drones are saving farmers countless hours and dollars, all without jeopardizing jobs. But, the way farmers in Oita plan to use drones for pest management is quite unique. They are taking a drone and disguising it as a predatory hawk.
The drone they are using has six rotors, a camera, and a speaker. While an operator pilots the drone through the assistance of the camera’s live feed, the speaker sends out the warning calls of a hawk. But that’s not the only sound coming from the drone. Besides the bird calls and the sound of the rotors, the speaker also plays the sounds of a monkey screaming in distress. The idea is that once the pilot locates monkeys on the farm, the drone can swiftly be flown to that area, scaring off the macaques with the combination of frightening sounds from it’s speaker. If that isn’t enough, officials have employed two more strategies to this drone. They have decorated the drone to look like a hawk. The drone’s white body is camouflaged in shades of brown to mimic a hawk’s feathers. The front of the drone is left white, like the white head of a hawk. To further enhance the deception large, bulging, yellow eyes and a red and yellow beak have been attached to the front of the drone. And as a final measure, suspended underneath the drone is a stuffed animal monkey. Essentially, the drone looks and sounds like a hawk with a screaming monkey clutched in it’s paws.
Similarly, Shrihari MB, a farmer from Bolugallu of Mandekolu village in India, devised an innovative solution inspired by solar fencing technology.
The device called Monkey Shock Pads, uses a PVC pipe with aluminium sheets and strategically placed shock pads. Shrihari used a PVC pipe with drilled holes, a beer tin, a wires to create the device. With the help of a coconut climber, he installed five shock pads on each of six trees on Oct 21. Since then, monkeys have avoided those trees, moving to nearby ones instead.
Recognising the frequent power outages in the area, he relies on solar power extensively. Shrihari purchased a 200-watt solar module although a 40-watt module and a 12-volt, 12 AH battery are sufficient for daytime use of the device.
“The system includes a solar-power energizer box connected to the shock pads via wires. When touched by monkeys, the pads deliver a 1200-volt pulse shock at low amps, ensuring it is harmless yet effective in deterring them,” he said.
In Nepal, scientists at National Innovation Centre located at Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur where some short of useful drones have been successfully developed shown interest to work out on drones to drive monkeys to save farms and farmers. However, they should get enough knowledge on monkey behaviour including things they dislike the sounds of animals or birds, smells, smokes, fires or so on. Moreover, the fund is an important resource to manage to carry on the research. Likewise, reduce the cost of device to make affordable to local governments to offer if not affordable to individual farmers.
The idea of drone or shock pad or any appropriate device to drive monkeys or can be successful when the government and relevant agencies extend their supports to the research centre and or the experts who would like to involve in creating sustainable solution to keep farms and farmers safe from monkeys.
