<p>Although farmers had been trying different methods to keep the simians away, their efforts had proved futile.<br /><br />Having unable to tackle the wild animals menace especially of monkeys, the villagers who have been affected with wild animals menace have formed ‘Kadu prani havali thade committee’ at Perdur and a special grama sabhe has been convened at Perdur on Saturday. <br /><br />Speaking to Deccan Herald, Horata Samithi Convenor B V Poojary said Karkala and Kundapur taluks are most affected by wild animal menace. “If 90 per cent of the crops were damaged by wild animals, then 50 per cent were damaged by the monkeys. The number of monkeys are on rise in the last seven to eight years. It is impossible for the farmers to carry our agriculture activities.” <br /><br />“We had been approaching the government and the forest department to find a solution to the monkey menace. However, none of them had responded positively to our pleas till recently. Hence, we farmers have come together to plead with the government to find solution to our problem,” he said.<br /><br />The special gram sabha will be attended by elected representatives, district-in-charge ministers and all the affected farmers to come to a consensus on the solution to the wild animals menace. The farmers will join hands with the government and forest department in checking the wild animals menace, he added. <br /><br />Sterilisation<br /><br />He said a eight member team with four persons each from Forest department and Bharathiya Kissan Sangha had visited Himachal Pradesh to study the method followed by the farmers in Himachal Pradesh to tackle monkey menace in August 2010. Though the concept of monkey park was a bit failure, the sterlisation of monkeys have helped in controlling their increasing number. The objective is to control their population as monkeys had been damaging crops worth crores of rupees extensively in Udupi district.<br /><br />“We will urge the government to set up a sterilisation centre in the region, to sterilise all the monkeys. If there was any delay in the setting up of the centre, then the forest department should plan to catch monkeys with the help of the villagers and leave them in the reserve forest. Lot of fruit bearing trees must be planted in reserve forest to provide food for the monkeys round the year, so that they will not enter villages in search of food,” he said. <br /><br />He said “there was no provision in the department to provide compensation to the crop loss caused by monkeys. The forest department had provision to provide compensation to crop loss caused by peacocks and other wild animals. Hence, the government should earmark separate fund to distribute as compensation for the loss due to wild animals menace. <br /><br />The government should provide compensation based on the market price of the crops in a scientific manner. The farmers should be given laser guns and those farmers who have incurred more than 50 per cent loss should be given license for possessing gun by the government,” he added. <br /></p>
<p>Although farmers had been trying different methods to keep the simians away, their efforts had proved futile.<br /><br />Having unable to tackle the wild animals menace especially of monkeys, the villagers who have been affected with wild animals menace have formed ‘Kadu prani havali thade committee’ at Perdur and a special grama sabhe has been convened at Perdur on Saturday. <br /><br />Speaking to Deccan Herald, Horata Samithi Convenor B V Poojary said Karkala and Kundapur taluks are most affected by wild animal menace. “If 90 per cent of the crops were damaged by wild animals, then 50 per cent were damaged by the monkeys. The number of monkeys are on rise in the last seven to eight years. It is impossible for the farmers to carry our agriculture activities.” <br /><br />“We had been approaching the government and the forest department to find a solution to the monkey menace. However, none of them had responded positively to our pleas till recently. Hence, we farmers have come together to plead with the government to find solution to our problem,” he said.<br /><br />The special gram sabha will be attended by elected representatives, district-in-charge ministers and all the affected farmers to come to a consensus on the solution to the wild animals menace. The farmers will join hands with the government and forest department in checking the wild animals menace, he added. <br /><br />Sterilisation<br /><br />He said a eight member team with four persons each from Forest department and Bharathiya Kissan Sangha had visited Himachal Pradesh to study the method followed by the farmers in Himachal Pradesh to tackle monkey menace in August 2010. Though the concept of monkey park was a bit failure, the sterlisation of monkeys have helped in controlling their increasing number. The objective is to control their population as monkeys had been damaging crops worth crores of rupees extensively in Udupi district.<br /><br />“We will urge the government to set up a sterilisation centre in the region, to sterilise all the monkeys. If there was any delay in the setting up of the centre, then the forest department should plan to catch monkeys with the help of the villagers and leave them in the reserve forest. Lot of fruit bearing trees must be planted in reserve forest to provide food for the monkeys round the year, so that they will not enter villages in search of food,” he said. <br /><br />He said “there was no provision in the department to provide compensation to the crop loss caused by monkeys. The forest department had provision to provide compensation to crop loss caused by peacocks and other wild animals. Hence, the government should earmark separate fund to distribute as compensation for the loss due to wild animals menace. <br /><br />The government should provide compensation based on the market price of the crops in a scientific manner. The farmers should be given laser guns and those farmers who have incurred more than 50 per cent loss should be given license for possessing gun by the government,” he added. <br /></p>