Human-monkey conflicts in India are escalating due to ecological degradation and urban waste mismanagement.
Rhesus macaques are drawn to cities for food, creating a cycle of dependency and conflict.
Solutions include habitat restoration, waste management, and coordinated governance to address the root causes effectively.
In September this year, a 91-year-old woman in Karnataka’s Koppal district died after a monkey attacked her at her residence. About a week later, more than 10 people, including children, were attacked near Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai. Such news of human conflicts with monkeys, mostly rhesus macaques commonly found across the country, are no longer isolated disturbances. The conflict appears to be a neighbourhood nuisance, but is a broader ecological and governance crisis—degraded forests, uncollected urban garbage and uncoordinated agencies are driving monkeys into human settlements.
By now, all the causes and responses are well known. Macaques move to urban areas for predictable, calorie-rich, easily accessible food, which is becoming increasingly difficult to find in degraded forests. India has seen a net increase in forest and tree cover between 2001 and 2021, as per the "India State of Forest Report" assessments. But growth of invasive species, increasing temperatures and erratic rainfall can change the natural vegetation cycles in forests, affecting natural food availability.
Meanwhile in urban areas, open and overflowing garbage, roadside waste and food offerings at religious sites create artificial and highly predictable food sources. This results in a self-repeating cycle pushing macaques closer to people and increasing conflicts.
The most common response to human-macaque conflict in urban areas is translocation. One of the most difficult aspects is not capturing the animals but finding a release site that accommodates them without further conflict. I encountered this first-hand during my tenure as Conservator of Forests in Hyderabad in 2008-09. Communities around potential release sites were reluctant to accept macaques in their area due to the risks of crop damage and renewed conflict. This made it clear that translocation merely shifts the problem.
Another crucial aspect is public feeding of macaques, due to religious beliefs, compassion or long-standing local practices. These practices alter their natural behaviour, increasing dependency on human settlements. Simply criminalising feeding is unlikely to provide lasting change. For example, in 2007 Delhi introduced a judicially-backed ban on public feeding of macaques, and subsequently, several monkeys were translocated to the Asola-Bhatti sanctuary. The large number of macaques overwhelmed the sanctuary’s natural food re-so-urces, so the management developed 18 artificial feeding points. A 2024 assessment by the Wildlife Institute of India found the arrangement unsustainable: macaques became concentrated, competition increased and animals continued entering neighbouring settlements.
This is why habitat-centric forest restoration must be prioritised. This does not involve just planting more trees, but al-so removing invasive species, encouraging natural regeneration, protecting native fruit-bearing species, improving habitat connectivity and restoring degraded patches near settlements.
Communities must also be invo-lved to regulate grazing, fuelwood collection, fire and other pressures that degrade habitat. Authorities must engage with residents, religious institutions and local community leaders to regulate feeding.
There should be clear delineation of authorities responsible for capture and rescue, bite incidents, securing waste hotspots, tackling deliberate feeding
Effectiveness of sterilisation for monkey population reduction depends on continuity, adequate coverage, post-operative care and long-term monitoring.
Himachal Pradesh provides a comprehensive model. Since 2006, the state has instituted dedicated monkey sterilisation centres, standardised capture procedures and technical guidelines. The model did face funding constraints hampering implementation, but has been adopted or adapted by Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand. However, most states still approach population management in a loca-lity-specific or piecemeal way.
Sterilisation is also not a magic bullet if abundant anthropogenic food continues to sustain macaque populations and alter their behaviour. Hence, urban waste management must be recognised as a wildlife management tool.
Secured waste containers, reliable door-to-door collection and elimination of open dumping points can keep macaques at bay.
The 2022 amendment to the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, moved the rhesus macaque from Schedule II to Schedule IV. This move effectively removed the high levels of protection for the species, leaving them vulnerable to cruelty, domestication or slaughtering. However, in 2025, higher legal protection was reinstated.
But legal classification alone cannot resolve the conflict, if there is no clearly defined chain of responsibility. Urban local bodies are often expected to respond to complaints involving monkeys, while forest departments retain much of the wildlife expertise. Veterinary and public-health agencies become involved when animals are injured, or people are bitten. Each agency may end up addressing only a part of the problem.
This can be addressed through a dedicated macaque conflict centre in urban areas, guided by a well-defined local protocol. There should be clear delineation of authorities responsible for complaint resolution, capture and rescue, bite incidents, securing waste hotspots, tackling deliberate feeding and monitoring sterilised or relocated animals. The Chief Wildlife Warden can delegate field-level powers to lower-ranked officers for localised capture and calibrated release of conflict animals. This will replace fragmented responses with a coordinated chain of responsibility.
(Mohan Chandra Pargaien is a former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and currently an advisor to Singareni Collieries Company Limited, Telangana)
This column was first published in the November 1-15, 2026 print edition of Down To Earth