Monkey menace has tribal hamlet residents at their wits end

It has become a challenge for Kanneri Colony residents to safeguard food items as the monkeys gain entry into the house by removing the roof tiles and take away food. The womenfolk have now stopped going to work

NT Correspondent

Mysuru: Residents of Kanneri Colony in Chamarajanagar taluk are not afraid of wild elephants or tigers but of a group of monkeys which have made their life miserable. Kanneri Colony is a tribal hamlet with over 150 houses of Scheduled Tribe. It comes under K Gudi range of BRT Tiger Reserve in Chamarajanagar district.

The tribals of this hamlet never had any issues with the wild animals and have been living in harmony. However, in the last 15 days a group of monkeys is creating problems for these residents. They have now requested the Forest Department to nab these monkeys and shift them somewhere.

These monkeys are not sparing the food prepared by tribal women, pulses, cereals and the coffee beans grown by them. Even the ration given by the state government is not spared by the monkeys as they enter the houses boldly and destroy everything.

Despite driving them away by waving lathis, they soon return to trouble the residents. If the women are busy with home chores, the monkeys come from behind and scare them. They also take away whatever food prepared by them.

The residents suspected that the Forest Department personnel were nabbing the monkeys from near Biligiriranganatha Swamy Temple or from other places and freeing them near the colony. The tribals who were leading a peaceful life all these years are now blaming their luck thanks to the monkey pranks.

It has become a challenge for these people to safeguard food items as the monkeys gain entry into the house by removing the tiles and take away food items, prepared food, vessels, egg and the edible oil packet. Unable to bear this nuisance, the womenfolk have stopped going to work to guard their houses from these monkeys.

“We can sit back at home one or two days and not more than that. If he sits at home how to support our family members. The moment we go out the gang of monkeys raid on the houses and ransack everything inside,” a tribal woman said.

The simians have taken away the nutritious food supplied by the government of Karnataka towards the welfare of tribals. There are around 300 monkeys near the hamlet which are giving lots of trouble for everyone here. More than tigers and elephants we are worried about these small creatures. The forest department must understand their travails and shift these monkeys elsewhere before their patience runs out.