As the clock strikes at midnight, hundreds of monkeys enter Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand is one of the several states facing monkey menace these days.

Monkey menace has reached epic poportions in Uttarakhand

Dehradun: Among other issues, the Government of Uttarakhand these days has one major problem to deal with – the rising influx of monkeys in the state.

As per a report in the ToI, the principal chief conservator of forests in Uttarakhand has written a letter to the state's DGP, claiming that several states, including Uttar Pradesh, are secretly dumping their monkeys into the state.

Stating reasons for the sudden rise in the population of monkeys, Uttarakhand Forest Minister Dinesh Aggarwal said, "Uttarakhand is one of several states facing monkey menace. However, it has come to light that vehicles from neighbouring states have been secretly releasing groups of monkeys into our forests in the middle of the night.”

The minister further informed that vehicles from neighbouring states come to forests in the border areas and then release the animals. The Uttarakhand government has also instructed the forest department to keep a watch on such activities and the police to take tough action.

The state government has also set up a sterilization centre for these animals, and new monkey enclosures are being set up across the state. However, the officials are concerned that the problem would get exacerbated if monkeys from neighbouring states will continue to be released into the wild in Uttarakhand.

There have been several complaints of monkey bites from local residents in Uttarakhand's border areas.