Suggestion to Employ Monkey Guards for Six Months to Control Monkey Population in Khotang

May 28, Khotang — “Currently, deploying two to five or six farmer police or farmer army personnel in each ward can help chase away monkeys. Farmers can also assist by reporting monkey sightings in their fields,” said Kumar Acharya, Vice President of the CPN-UML in Khotang. To find solutions for controlling wild animals damaging agricultural crops, the Khotang District Coordination Committee organized an interaction with farmers on May 27. Acharya shared his views on monkey control during the event.

The program, held in the District Coordination Committee’s auditorium, was attended by farmers, local representatives, administrative and security agencies, agricultural offices, and political party representatives. Participant Dhyan Bahadur Rai proposed hiring guards with fixed salaries for six months annually to chase away monkeys. Farmer Jham Prasad Acharya, who agreed with the idea of employing guards to keep wild animals at bay, suggested forming crop protection committees in each ward and managing the guards through local government. He emphasized that by having guards monitor the monkeys, they could be driven away when approaching the crops.

Farmer Uddhav Prasad Acharya expressed similar views. He believes that municipalities, rural municipalities, or ward offices can secure relief for farmers if they hire guards to chase monkeys. He added that such control is possible if the government invests in it. During the interaction, farmers discussed various topics, including managing guards to chase monkeys, planting crop varieties that monkeys do not eat, capturing and sterilizing monkeys, relocating them, and, if necessary, culling them.

Mohan Gurung, Chairman of the Community Forest Users Federation, suggested adopting traditional knowledge and skills for monkey control. He proposed that the government conduct a nationwide monkey deterrence campaign every three years in the month of Chaitra (March-April) to effectively manage the monkey population. Although monkeys have caused problems for farmers, no comprehensive solution has yet been found. Sun Bahadur Rai, Chief of the Khotang District Coordination Committee, stated that efforts to find and research ways to reduce damage from monkeys and other wild animals are ongoing.