Sandhikharka : Indira Panthi, a resident of Sandhikharka Municipality-2, Kurki, has been chasing monkeys from her corn field from dawn to dusk to protect the corncobs almost ready to harvest.

The corn has ripened in the field. Farmers in the district have to stay in the cornfield all day to drive away the monkeys. They have to abandon all other work to guard the cornfield from large groups of monkeys coming from the jungle.

Locals are enduring a significant hardship to protect the corn from monkeys. Panthi said, “Monkeys have caused a lot of trouble. They have eaten about five baskets of corn from her field. No matter how much we drive them away, they keep coming back. We haven’t been able to do any household work.”

Farmers in the area have been suffering from monkey menace for years. Ishwara Nepali from Kurki said that the situation had become so dire that a few locals were displaced due to the monkeys. She said, “If the fields are in the middle of the village or close to the house, they can be protected. Otherwise, the monkeys will eat the produce. It has become very difficult to protect the corn from a troop of monkeys”

The stored food and fruits inside the houses too are not spared by the monkeys. Locals are in a situation where they can neither leave their homes nor their fields. Local Narhari Bhusal said, “Almost a decade ago, there were no monkeys in the village. People are migrating to urban centres and villages are almost empty now, so monkeys are causing menace in the fields and it is very difficult to protect the crops.

Currently, all six municipalities in Arghakhanchi are facing problems due to monkeys. Bhumikasthan, Chhatradev and Panini are the most affected local levels. Monkeys are seen in large numbers in the pine forest. There have been efforts at the municipal level to drive away monkeys, including using microphones, banging utensils, keeping dogs and distributing guns and slingshots. However, these measures have not been effective.

Rajan Pandey, Chief Administrative Officer of Chhatradev Rural Municipality, said that although some budget was allocated in the past for mitigation efforts, there had been no long-term plan, resulting in an annual increase in monkey menace. Farmers especially suffer every year during the corn ripening season.

Panini Municipality had distributed Tibetan Mastiffs to farmers two years ago to stop the monkey menace. Chhatradev Rural Municipality had distributed airguns and Sandhikharka Municipality had distributed slingshots and firecrackers. However, the monkey menace has not been controlled.