Park Made Just for Monkeys

Forest officials in India are trying out a new way of controlling their monkey infestation-a park.

This primate protection park in India's northern Himachal Pradesh is made to house more than 2,000 Simian monkeys in hopes of keeping a controlled eye on the population. In the last three years, studies have shown that the monkey population has grown by 50 percent. The people of Himachal Pradesh say the Simian monkeys are a menace.

There are around 375,000 of them and most of them live in the state's towns and villages where they eat the crops and attack humans.

The authorities were getting fed up with the monkeys so the wildlife conservators came up with the plan for a large park that will not only protect the monkeys but humans too.

"We will catch them from there and bring them to Tutikandi sterilization centre. We will sterilize them and release them back here and will keep on feeding them here," said Nagesh Guleria, Deputy Conservator, and Wildlife Wing.

Farmers are very happy because their crops will not be eaten.

"These monkeys ruin our crops and once they start getting proper food in this park, hopefully they won't venture into our fields anymore which will be very good for us,” said Puran Thakur, a farmer.

The Simians are revered by Hindus across India as the incarnation of the monkey-face god Hanuman.

Even though the monkeys are of religious importance, their overwhelming presence it’s still hard for the locals.

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