The phrase “monkey menace” is a cruel misnomer coined by those who have been ignorant of why macaques resort to human settlements. For centuries, India’s macaques have lived harmoniously in sprawling forests. There was no ‘menace’ when their habitats were intact. But by felling trees, fragmenting jungles, and extending our cities into wild territories, we’ve stripped many in the wild of their homes and natural access to food. Blaming wildlife venturing closer to us in search of means to survive is to blame the victims of human encroachment.
India is home to 10 species of macaques, out of which three have adapted to living around the human population, and thus are prone to the ongoing human-primate conflict. These are rhesus macaque, bonnet macaque, and the lion-tailed macaque:
The human-macaque conflict isn’t a sign of primate rebellion — it’s a mirror reflecting our disruption of nature. Consider the contexts where these clashes occur:
- Agricultural Losses: Monkeys don’t raid crops out of spite. We’ve cleared their forests, leaving them no choice but to forage on farms. The fields they invade were once their feeding grounds, and now serve as perfect alternatives.
- Tourist and Religious Sites: At temples and certain tourist hotspots, macaques are often associated with cultural reverence. Assured that they will receive food has made them rely on and demand regular offerings.
Urban Encounters: In cities, macaques rummage through garbage and homes because here they can conveniently find food. Earlier largely being a frugivore species, monkeys have now become scavengers of disposed food items.
Monkey population in urban areas has been on the rise, and the lack of a natural predator in cities is also a factor that contributes to the escalating primate population. This makes human-primate conflict situations inevitable. To ethically manage their troop movements without resorting to cruelty or displacement requires sensitive and mindful thinking. Wildlife SOS runs 24×7 rescue helplines that offer immediate rescue, medical care, and rehabilitation to wildlife in distress.
We have been responding to calls concerning injured and conflict-ridden monkeys. While we provide timely care and treatment to them, the aim is to develop long-term solutions to mitigate tension between humans and non-human primates that have adapted to urban life. Examples of monkeys, especially rhesus macaques, involved in conflict have ranged from rooftop rescues to them accidentally entering homes or even public hospitals. In fact, even the highest corridors of power do not have the authority to keep monkeys at bay.
At the new residence site of the Prime Minister in New Delhi, which is under construction right behind the iconic Rashtrapati Bhavan, a frail rhesus macaque was found collapsed in the month of March this year. A call to Wildlife SOS’s emergency helpline brought rescuers swiftly to the spot, where they provided urgent care to the macaque and transported it to their transit facility.
Monitoring its health led the monkey to regain its strength and recover in the next few days, and a successful release operation was then carried out. The incident serves as a stark reminder of how urban development is displacing wildlife, forcing several to adapt to an unnatural life.
While monkeys have proved to be highly adaptable to areas where food is convenient to procure, they now urgently require a way back into the natural habitat. What humans can collectively plan to do is create natural food sources and green homes that attract monkeys. Instead of having them raid trash bins and kitchens, we can redirect their attention to native fruit-bearing trees such as fig, mango, banana, bargad (banyan), peepal, and mulberry.
Areas filled with specific local trees can become sanctuaries for monkeys to resort to, away from urban locales. Monkeys are intelligent species, and they’re essential to the health of their ecosystem. As natural seed dispersers, their role in forest regeneration supports biodiversity and sustains countless other species. This approach can therefore lead to rewilding habitats with ecological sensitivity and careful planning — one that offers a promising pathway toward peaceful and sustainable human-primate coexistence.
At Wildlife SOS, every monkey rescue brings with it the story of how expansion of human settlements is deeply affecting wildlife that is trying to keep up with the rapid habitat changes they’re experiencing. If you spot a primate in distress, don’t wait. Call our 24×7 emergency rescue helplines to ensure their as well as your safety and well-being.
Vadodara (Gujarat) – +91-9825011117
Jammu & Kashmir – +91-7006692300, +91-9419778280
Delhi-NCR – +91-9871963535
Agra, Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) – +91-9917109666
Feature image: Wildlife SOS/ Kunal Malhotra
