A team of Nepali Parliamentarians, along with doctors, is set to visit India to study measures for controlling monkey populations, prompted by concerns about the escalating issue of “monkey terror” in the Himalayan country. The visit, organized by the Members of Parliament from the Agriculture, Cooperative, and Natural Resources Committee, comes after parliamentary meetings highlighted the urgency of implementing effective control measures for the burgeoning monkey population.
The Indian government has extended support for the visit, which includes ten veterinarians and five forest rangers accompanying the Committee. The team is scheduled to travel to Himachal Pradesh to study the methods employed in controlling monkey populations, with a focus on castration as a viable solution.
Himachal Pradesh, in 2016, declared monkeys as “vermin” for a one-year period, permitting their culling to manage population growth. This permission was subsequently extended multiple times before being rejected in 2021. The Nepali delegation aims to gain insights from India’s experience in dealing with similar challenges.
In a parallel diplomatic initiative, members of another Nepali House of Representatives Committee arrived in India on January 30 with a dual objective of fostering parliamentary diplomacy and promoting tourism. The International Relations Committee, comprising 11 members, will conclude their visit on February 7, contributing to the ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral ties between Nepal and India.
