'Monkey business' worry residents

In the recent past, troublesome monkeys captured in Udupi, Kundapur, Karkala and other town areas are put into cage and released in Someshwar and the surrounding forest areas near Agumbe.

The monkeys perhaps find the forest environment petulant and so have been barging into the nearby villages including Hebri, Kabbinale and Shivapura creating chaos among the residents.

It would not have been an issue, if the apes had roamed around in small numbers, but the trouble causers form packs consisting of not less than 50 monkeys who suddenly attack the agriculture land of poor farmers in the region.

Thanks to the role played by the apes, villagers are seen picking fights with each other because of the pandamonium created by the monkeys as they feel that it is their neighbours playing pranks intentionally  to destroy their crops and other belongings.

One of the farmers moans at the monkey crisis and tells that the huge group of apes is destroying coconut, areca and other crops in the land.

 “Certainly the monkeys are making merry putting us in trouble. They  enter our houses and frighten the women and children. They are so used to the sound of crackers and guns,  that they don’t even  are no more scared of loud noise these days,” he says.

Ram, a resident of Hebri complain that the monkeys enters village in the month of October and November as the crop will be fertile and they vacate the place only after confirming that nothing else has been left to destroy!

“I have quit growing paddy in 1.5 acres of land this year, as it hurts to see these creatures creating nuisance in my land and destroying my crop just in front of my eyes,” informs Vasanth from Shivapur. While another resident Venkatesh has been fed up of guarding his land from monkeys and so now he has desperately come to a conclusion that there is no end to monkey menace in the region.

Monkeys in temple

Monkey menace is not only limited to the farm lands, but also it has been causing nuisance in Kamalashile Sri Durgaparameshwari temple.

In the month of October during Navaratri festival, the apes enter into the temple kitchen and destroy the prepared food items.

As a gesture to overcome the problem, the temple authority has started to cook 8 kg of rice everyday exclusively to serve the monkeys.