Monkeys swing into bldgs near SGNP, receive mixed welcome

Mumbai: At first glance, Evershine Millenium Paradise in Kandivli East looks like any other building under renovation. Then you see the monkeys. A female bonnet macaque hides behind a green net with her newborn. The sub-adults soar up the scaffolding. One finds a chink in the building's armour of grills and shutters—an open balcony door. Soon, the troop re-emerge with their treasures: A dragon fruit, a mango, and, clutched in the hands of a young one, a bright orange dupatta.

Naresh Gala, a resident, watches their antics indulgently. "Some people get irritated," he says. "But we don't."

Monkey encounters seem to be rising in Mumbai's suburbs, especially in the fast-developing areas around the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Kandivli East and Borivali East. The park's rescue team gets calls weekly, and sometimes must catch and relocate a troublesome group. "The first day, people treat them like Hanuman," says Vaibhav Tripathi, a rescue team member. "Second day, also fine. Third day, they call us for help."

While many residents blame reduced food in the park or an increasing monkey population—no recent data is available on either—experts note that increased development near the park has raised the chance of encounters. In southern states, too, researchers are finding fewer groups in the forests and more near temples, tourist sites, and highways—areas where calorie-dense food is easily available.

People's contradictory attitudes also play a role, says Vanishree Naik, a wildlife researcher studying Mumbai's macaques. At Kandivli and elsewhere, many feed the monkeys, encouraging more visits. But they also shoo them away. It's like a push-pull relationship, Naik suggests. "The problem is the monkey doesn't understand the push until it's too late."

A history of coexistence

In India, humans and monkeys have always lived close by, says Sindhu Radhakrishna, a primatologist at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. She has studied ancient Tamil poetry that depicts monkeys as mischievous, with a penchant for stealing jackfruit. Historically, conflict has been an issue mainly in north India with rhesus macaques. The bonnet macaques of peninsular India are smaller and more docile, though they can get aggressive at tourist sites.

In Borivali East, residents say they are destructive. They strip fruit trees and damage flowers, bathe in water tanks, and inadvertently break wires. "Since 2019, the nuisance has increased," says Ashish Mahajan, a longtime resident of Abhinav Nagar. He doesn't mind the occasional leopard in his backyard, but finds monkeys unmanageable. "We sterilise stray dogs, why not monkeys?" he says.

Recently, Kerala proposed a birth-control programme for the state's bonnet macaques, due to rising conflict and crop damage. But bonnet macaques are generally declining (see box). As the larger rhesus expands its range southward, bonnets may even be headed for extinction, says Radhakrishna. In the meantime, "I don't know if we can expect human interaction to go down," she says. "As natural habitats shrink and urban spaces increase, where do monkeys go?"

Adapting to urban life

Naik's study of macaque groups at Kanheri Caves and Kandivli East offer insights into how they adapt to urban life. At Kanheri, the macaques stay away on Mondays when the park is closed to tourists, and tend to avoid uniformed guards. The 60-member group has three alpha males, Naik says, but it's the inquisitive and energetic juveniles that snatch food from tourists. Some have learnt to unzip bags and unscrew bottle caps.

The smaller macaque group at Kandivli, led by a male called Mukhya, rarely snatches food—residents feed them regularly. These monkeys are larger in size than at Kanheri. Though many locals believe they're hungry, macaques only need around 500 calories a day, says Naik, which is "just a few bananas or mangoes".

In the forest, they eat a varied diet of plants, flowers, and roots. In the city, some acquire a taste for chips and chakli, which can lead to obesity and even diabetes, Naik says. Garbage exposure also poses a risk of disease.

In other countries, people have experimented with monkey-proof dustbins and culling, with mixed success. The long-term solution, experts say, is to refrain from feeding them and to keep the neighbourhood garbage-free. Radhakrishna notes that during the pandemic-related lockdown, when monkeys were deprived of food at roadsides and temples, they retreated into the forest. "They are not going to come to us if there's nothing to attract them."

Meanwhile, some Mumbaikars have learnt tolerance. In Borivali West, Jiban Mukhopadhyay installed window grills after his 13th floor apartment was raided by monkeys—they opened his fridge, gobbled up food, and even defecated in one room. He sees animal encounters as an inevitable part of living next to a forest. Besides, monkeys can be entertaining to watch, he says, adding, "It's fun as long as it's not in your own home."Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !