Monkey menace grips Anakapalli villages, farmers abandon crops

Anakapalle: Residents and farmers in a few mandals of Anakapalle district are facing a severe monkey menace, with troops roaming streets in towns and damaging standing crops such as vegetables, banana plantations, fruit crops and leafy greens, while also raising public safety concerns in rural and urban areas. Locals said monkeys moving in large groups attacked many people, including the elderly and children. Residents of Yalamanchili and Payakaraopeta Assembly constituencies alleged that local bodies and forest officials had failed to address the issue properly. They said the problem had persisted in Yalamanchili town and surrounding villages for the past eight years with no permanent solution, despite monkeys becoming increasingly aggressive. An elderly man was seriously injured after falling from a rooftop when a troop of monkeys attacked him and forced him to jump from the terrace. Two girls at a social welfare hostel in Ravikamatam mandal were attacked by monkeys on the premises five months ago. Locals alleged that incidents were being reported almost every week but officials failed to respond. "We have stopped cultivating crops like banana and vegetables for fear of damage by armies of monkeys. When there is no solution and no care from officials, what can we do?" asked KS Srinivasa Rao, a farmer from Payakaraopeta mandal. Vexed with the attitude of officials, farmers in Alamanda village of Payakaraopeta mandal spent their own money to bring langurs to protect their fields. Initially, the move yielded results as monkeys fled on seeing langurs, but after a few days the monkeys got used to them and began roaming the fields again, said N Surya Rao, a farmer from Yalamanchili. "We are not even in a position to enter our fields as hundreds of monkeys block the routes. Farmers tried another method after learning that monkeys fear bears, when bears were brought to a local festival. We bought bear costumes from Anakapalle and wore them while entering the fields. Initially, monkeys ran away, but within a few months they got used to that too," said another farmer, Ch Srinivasa Rao.Meanwhile, a panchayat in S Rayavaram mandal reportedly caught around 100 monkeys using its own funds and released them into the Anantagiri reserve forest area six months ago. Yalamanchili Municipality officials said they had employed people to catch monkeys and release them into forest areas, but the catchers were demanding ₹1,500 per monkey. "They are catching monkeys and releasing them in nearby villages, leading to the continuation of the problem. They often focus on personal benefit. If there are no monkeys, they would have no employment," an official said on condition of anonymity. Yalamanchili Municipality Commissioner Prasada Raju said the rate used to be Rs 800 per monkey earlier, but had now doubled. He said the catchers were demanding advance payment and stood to benefit if there were more monkeys. "A batch of catchers recently came to Yalamanchili, but they say more monkeys at one stretch would benefit them," he said. Forest officials said habitat loss due to deforestation for industries and shrinking green cover had forced monkeys into residential areas. They added that monkeys' growing intelligence made them difficult to control, particularly in urban zones. Officials said monkeys have a high reproductive rate, giving birth once every few months, with the pregnancy period ranging from four to six months.