New Delhi: The Wildlife Institute of India (Wii) has submitted a proposal for the monkey census in the city after being approached by the Ministry of Forestry in this case in December.
This department has not given its approval on the plan.
In a separate step, the Ministry of Forestry has asked the Wii to conduct the first census of an animal and a habitat assessment at Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary.
Officials said talks were on “early stages”.
“We consider proposals for the monkey census and will soon receive calls after considering problems such as budgets and project feasibility,” said an official of the Ministry of Forestry.
Wii experts say they have proposed a cellular-based census that will involve citizens as volunteers.
A similar census has been successfully carried out in Gurgaon, added them.
“Our proposal focuses on high monkey-human interaction areas.
Cellular applications will consolidate data sent from volunteers from various parts of the city.
What they need to do is take pictures of monkeys when they see it and upload them in the application,” said a Wii expert.
He added that the census would map the area with a high monkey population, proliferation rate and use data collected to write strategies to reduce their number.
The census, which was previously proposed in 2019, was intended to develop a strategy to control human-monkey conflicts in several regions.
However, it never took off for various reasons, said a Wii official.
“We have sent a proposal to the Ministry of Forestry Delhi in 2019 but has never been funded.
The idea is to find the monkey population and control it through various modes.
There is no single solution for the problem.
The monkeys will develop in the city because there is no scarcity of food.
Good Sterilization and relocation to Asola Bhatti will work because they will return to urban areas.
So, the right strategy is needed for a certain area with the support of local residents.
And Delhi needs to work fast because it’s too late, “said Wii Qamar Qureshi expert.
He added that even though there were some rough estimates of the Delhi monkey population, they were not accurate because there was no basis at the proliferation level.
Capital reported more than 1,000 monkey bite cases every year.
Many attempts to resolve monkey-human conflicts have failed in the past.
The pill was filed in the Delhi High Court in 2001, after several orders were passed.
In 2018, the court has attracted the Ministry of Forestry and the central government for failure to control threats.
The three-year plan for sterilization, which was applied by the Ministry of Forestry Delhi and where RS 5 Crores was approved by the center, then dropped.