Macaques: A Problem In India
Everywhere on our planet there are places where conflicts with wild animals exist. These problems arose from the invasion of their habitats. However, there are few places where it is as bad as with the macaques in India.
The dangers of macaques in India
The latest incident in the town of Badnawar is another incident involving the Indian macaques . A rhesus macaque has caused fear and horror in the city – according to the local media. He attacked several people, one of whom was a man of sixty who subsequently died.
It is true that this was the latest in a series of incidents involving this species of primate in inhabited areas of India. Another macaque pelted pedestrians with thousands of rupees, others steal food and still others damage infrastructure such as optical fibers.
A strategy against these primates
Various states in the Indian Republic, such as Himachal Pradesh, have taken drastic measures due to the high number of incidents. There were 86 attacks in this zone between 2017 and 2018, which led to a sterilization campaign in the state that has been going on for more than a decade.
Still, it seems that the number of attacks has not decreased. Due to the failure in other states , the Indian government is now looking for alternatives, such as contraception through vaccination. However, you would first have to develop an oral vaccination that works for rhesus macaques.
The traditional administration of this type of vaccination, in various doses and by injection, makes the project impracticable with current resources.
The macaques and the fields
One of the problems that the Indian government is focusing on is the trapping of these animals. If massive numbers of animals are removed from their natural environment, this affects the primates’ social structures. As a result, the groups may fragment and individual animals may feel compelled to attack the harvested fields.
In rural areas, it is not so much about the safety of the citizens, but much more about the impact on small farmers. A decade ago people were annoyed that the animals stole about 10% of the harvest. Nowadays they steal almost half of the products.
What is puzzling about this conflict is that animals are considered sacred in some areas of the country. Therefore, it is not a species that is usually pursued. Measures aimed at killing the animals were not carried out due to public pressure.
Conflicts like that of the macaques in India are also reminiscent of the urban boar problem in Barcelona. These types of conflicts have to be resolved by talking to everyone involved. You have to try to allow the animals to live as wild and free as possible without them messing up our everyday lives.
