Mumbai: Stop feeding the monkeys! You are making them obese, say experts

Many kindhearted people take to feeding stray monkeys but a citybased NGO has found this has led to them getting obese A monkey weighing 15 kg mdash nearly four times the average normal adult weight for a female of its kind mdash was recently rescued from Deonar The find has once again led to experts stressing the need for humans to avoid feeding wild animalsThe obese monkey that was recently handed over to NGO RAWWTalking to midday the President of NGO RAWW Pawan Sharma said ldquoA few days ago we were handed the critical case of a rescued bonnet macaque by the Forest Department for further treatment The primate was found limping due to a severe injury on its hind limbs by the locals near the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre BARCrdquo The monkey underwent a detailed medical examination at veterinarian Dr Rina Devs cliniclsquoSought food from humansrsquoA female adult bonnet macaque on average weighs 35 kg while an adult male on average weighs 47 kg ldquoThe female macaque weighed almost 15 kg at the time of the checkup and had a fractured spine leading to paralysis of the hind limbs The macaque was observed showing interest in an incorrect diet over its natural diet and was seen exhibiting actions of asking for food from humans aroundrdquo said SharmaAlso read Byculla Zoo to expand by 10 acres for new animalsAs per the medical analysis the injury suffered by the macaque is an old untreated one due to a fall The RAWW team and the doctor feel that since the macaque could barely walk due to its paralysis and spinal trauma it was very likely fed by the humans ldquoSubsidy feeding feeding by humans directly or indirectly via irresponsible garbage management is one of the major reasons for humanprimate conflicts in the city The repercussions are now proving to be more severe as we have started observing cases of macaques being diagnosed with human lifestyle diseases like obesityrdquo Sharma saidEasy access to incorrect foodExperts also fear that just like in humans there is a correlation between the poorunhealthy diet the macaque consumes due to the easy access to junk foodincorrect or singular dietDr Dev said ldquoThe macaque was diagnosed with paralysis and there are high chances that this animal may not be able to go back into the wild A detailed medical diagnosis and treatment cannot be immediately started due to the other complications involved But we are closely monitoring its health It has a spinal cord fracture which has led to paralysisrdquo The monkey has so far not been treated for obesity or the injury as it is under observationAccording to NGOs working in wildlife rescue the population of monkeys at few locations on periphery of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park SGNP is increasing and there has not been any study nor have measures been taken to address the problem of humanmonkey conflict Sources from the forest department told this newspaper that monkey menace on the periphery of SGNP is a big issue and every other day they receive complaints about monkeys entering the housing societies and flats and stealing food According to Sharma in the past one year 35 to 40 monkeys have been rescued by NGOs and the FD from the periphery of the park ldquoThere needs to be a study undertaken to know the population of monkeys on the periphery of SGNP and how the issue of humanmonkey conflict can be addressed When people stop feeding them these monkeys enter flats and sometimes even snatch food from peoplerdquo added SharmalsquoObesity just one issuersquoWildlife conservationist Kedar Gore said ldquoAlthough monkeys have enough food to choose from in the wild they quickly adopt this easy way of life and become dependent on humans for food Obesity is just one of the health issues they face Several zoonotic diseases may be transferred from monkeys to humans and viceversa in this process Humanfed macaques and langurs have become rogue animals who attack humans and snatch and steal food from them This abnormal monkey behaviour is seen at hill stations like Khandala Mahabaleshwar where feeding monkeys is a popular pastime for many It is not only ethically wrong to feed wildlife species but also is an offenceDr Varad Giri from Bombay Natural History Society BNHS said ldquoThe availability of junk food that too without any effort alters the natural behaviour which affects the physical appearance as well If this is true for humans then it is for other species as well Free food makes them lazy affecting their physical fitnessrdquoAssistant Commissioner Wildlife Dr Shailesh Pethe said ldquoFeeding of wild animals is not only a violation of the Wildlife Protection Act but also technically inappropriate It causes unnecessary habitation which can be detrimental to both human and wildliferdquo35 kgWeight of an average adult female bonnet macaque47 kgWeight of an average adult male bonnet macaque