Farmers in the Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh have adopted an unusual and innovative method to protect their crops from the growing menace of monkeys. In Firozpur village, several farmers have started dressing up like bears and patrolling their fields in an attempt to scare the animals away and prevent them from destroying their crops.
The move comes as monkeys frequently invade the farms, causing significant damage to produce and leading to repeated losses for farmers who depend on these crops for their livelihood.
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Monkeys are destroying crops like potatoes and strawberry
One of the farmers, Dharambir, narrating his plight, said that several farmers have already adopted this solution as monkeys have become a major menace and are destroying numerous crops like potato and strawberry.
"Monkeys cause a menace and eat potatoes and strawberries from our fields. There must be more than 100 monkeys here. This happens every day. Monkeys run away after seeing us like this… There should be a permanent solution to this. Two to three of us are doing this," Dharambir told news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, the local Forest Ranger Manoj Kumar said that chasing monkeys away is not a long-term solution, as the animals simply move to another location. He added that the Forest Department is considering concrete steps to capture the monkeys and release them in forest areas.
"I have come to know about this. Monkeys may run away temporarily, but this is not a permanent solution. If they run away from one place, they reach another. Concrete steps will have to be taken so that we can catch them and release them in the jungle. The Forest Department will make every effort to catch the monkeys," Kumar said.
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