<p>People fed up with the menace of monkeys, stray dogs and pigeons, are resorting to various arms and tactics. Among them are air guns, BB guns which fire pellets, catapults and batons.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Recently, a private hospital armed its security guards with BB guns to tackle monkeys. In the worst-affected localities, some shopkeepers and residents are using batons and catapults.<br /><br />The use of such tools is controversial, and animal rights activists are against it. But the complete failure of the government agencies is forcing many to use them.“What will the government do when a monkey bites our children? They will do nothing. We have to do this to save our families. We are dealing with this menace for years. If we don’t fight back, the monkeys will keep coming into our houses to steal food,” says Kashmere Gate resident Ashish Gupta.<br /><br />“We have kept four catapults in our house and a lot of small stones to hit them,” he adds. <br /><br />The animal rights activists claim that use of catapults, non-lethal guns and crackers can even kill a monkey.<br /><br />“We know people are afraid of monkeys and stray dogs but using such tools can be fatal for them. We have rescued two or three-month-old orphaned babies of monkeys who succumbed to fatal injuries apparently inflicted by humans. The government must ensure the safety and security of citizens but not at the cost of harming these animals,” says Saurav, an activist of the NGO People for Animals.<br /><br />Police, however, say killing dogs and monkeys is prohibited, but using these tools for self-defence is okay. <br /><br />“There is no restriction on using such non-lethal tools. People have a right to protect themselves from monkeys and dogs but killing them is a punishable offence. If a pet monkey or dog bites someone, a case can be lodged against the owner of the animal,” says a police officer. The BB guns and air guns can be easily brought from Sadar Bazaar in Old Delhi. There is no licence required for them. “Most customers for air guns and pellet guns buy the weapons to handle the monkey menace. The price for these non-lethal guns starts from Rs 310 for the pistol models. The effective range of the pistol models is 60 metres. Rates for high-end rifle models start from Rs 1,350. Their effective range is 30-150 metres,” says Kazim, store manager at the Mohan Brothers toy gun shop in Hauz Qazi area. “None of these guns can be used for killing any monkey or a dog,” he says.<br /><br />To deal with pigeons, people usually adopt less lethal ways. They often use small crackers, packets of red chilli powder, pepper and toy snakes to scare them away from their homes.<br /><br />“They look innocent but they actually breed very fast and their population is growing dangerously in the city. The pigeons occupy any small space they find in the buildings,” says Gaurav Arora, a resident of Malviya Nagar.</p>
<p>People fed up with the menace of monkeys, stray dogs and pigeons, are resorting to various arms and tactics. Among them are air guns, BB guns which fire pellets, catapults and batons.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Recently, a private hospital armed its security guards with BB guns to tackle monkeys. In the worst-affected localities, some shopkeepers and residents are using batons and catapults.<br /><br />The use of such tools is controversial, and animal rights activists are against it. But the complete failure of the government agencies is forcing many to use them.“What will the government do when a monkey bites our children? They will do nothing. We have to do this to save our families. We are dealing with this menace for years. If we don’t fight back, the monkeys will keep coming into our houses to steal food,” says Kashmere Gate resident Ashish Gupta.<br /><br />“We have kept four catapults in our house and a lot of small stones to hit them,” he adds. <br /><br />The animal rights activists claim that use of catapults, non-lethal guns and crackers can even kill a monkey.<br /><br />“We know people are afraid of monkeys and stray dogs but using such tools can be fatal for them. We have rescued two or three-month-old orphaned babies of monkeys who succumbed to fatal injuries apparently inflicted by humans. The government must ensure the safety and security of citizens but not at the cost of harming these animals,” says Saurav, an activist of the NGO People for Animals.<br /><br />Police, however, say killing dogs and monkeys is prohibited, but using these tools for self-defence is okay. <br /><br />“There is no restriction on using such non-lethal tools. People have a right to protect themselves from monkeys and dogs but killing them is a punishable offence. If a pet monkey or dog bites someone, a case can be lodged against the owner of the animal,” says a police officer. The BB guns and air guns can be easily brought from Sadar Bazaar in Old Delhi. There is no licence required for them. “Most customers for air guns and pellet guns buy the weapons to handle the monkey menace. The price for these non-lethal guns starts from Rs 310 for the pistol models. The effective range of the pistol models is 60 metres. Rates for high-end rifle models start from Rs 1,350. Their effective range is 30-150 metres,” says Kazim, store manager at the Mohan Brothers toy gun shop in Hauz Qazi area. “None of these guns can be used for killing any monkey or a dog,” he says.<br /><br />To deal with pigeons, people usually adopt less lethal ways. They often use small crackers, packets of red chilli powder, pepper and toy snakes to scare them away from their homes.<br /><br />“They look innocent but they actually breed very fast and their population is growing dangerously in the city. The pigeons occupy any small space they find in the buildings,” says Gaurav Arora, a resident of Malviya Nagar.</p>
