Daily Times

Monkeys’ attack on human and bite incidents have registered an alarming spike of 95 percent in current summer season in Galliyat region of Abbotabad while wildlife experts are blaming feeding by tourists as reason behind changes in behavior and life style of the primate.

We have registered around 56 cases of monkey attacks and bites cases in Nathia Gali, Dona Gali, Bara Gali and other adjacent areas in the year 2023 to August 2024, informed Dr. Wasif, a medical official at Kala Bagh Heath Center. In the year 2023, around 19 cases were registered while in the current year till last month of August, a total of 37 cases are reported.

In response to attack by monkeys and claw injury to human, the medical practitioners after doing dressing, prescribe them to get anti-rabies jab to avoid future health complications, informed Dr. Wasif. He said monkeys population is increased in the region and incidents of attacks are also showing upsurge with the passage of time especially during summer season when thousands of tourists visit the scenic site.

Meanwhile, Wildlife experts when asked for comments blamed feeding of monkeys by tourists as main reason behind change in behavior of the animal.

“Feeding monkeys by tourists in Galliyat and other scenic sites including Margalla hills has disturbed the eating habits of the animal which is creating a lot of problems for locals, wildlife protectors and visitors themselves,” observed Muhammad Waseem, Manager WWF Pakistan.

Talking to APP, Muhammad Waseem said nature has kept food for monkeys in forest, but providing them food by locals and tourists has affected the habits of the animal, disturbing the natural process by making them dependent on humans.

Waseem also considers increase in herd size of monkey as reason behind attack on humans. He said from 1978 to 84 a UK based University’s Professor and some students did a survey in Galliyat and found the herd size of monkey around 40 to 44. However now, he continued, the troop size of monkey has been swelled to more than 100 and availability of food from tourists and junk food on roads, these monkey have migrated from dense forest to human populated areas.

“Feeding by humans are depriving different wild species of their instinct of wilderness and making them dependent on humans thus damaging the ecosystem,” comments Daud Khan Yousafzai an M.phil scholar from Buner whose research was on same subject.

Shifting from natural food to human provided items is also affecting eco-system because these monkeys plays an important role in regeneration of different plant species through distribution of seed through fecal.

Sajid Hussain Field Assistant Common Leopard WWF-Pakistan when contacted echoed the same reason of tourists feeding as reason behind change in habit of monkeys.

Monkeys have totally changed their eating habits and are dependent on feeding from human besides snatching or stealing of food from human settlement ensuing in animal-human clashes and attacks, Sajid told APP.

Monkeys are seen eating snacks like lays chips, bread, biscuits which reflect total change in food of the animal, Sajid explained.

Human feeding has also altered the habitat of monkeys in Galliyat from dense Forest to human settlement besides change in eating habits, he added.

Sajid also agreed with Waseem’s point of view that population or troop size of monkey is also increased and those monkeys which cannot get food during distribution by tourists, attacks on feeding humans.

He said a tourists can carry such a stock of food which can feed only a couple of monkeys, but he is surrounded by 80 to 100 animals within no time and is attacked due to lack of food.

Sajid also made a disclosure that in most of the cases of monkey bite in mountainous region, local people did not get anti-rabies treatment due to lack of availability of vaccine in the area and lack of financial resources of going to Abbottabad city for getting proper treatment.

“Wildness in monkeys has gone long ago otherwise they will never come close to humans like this, Lets be part of wild nature’s welfare,” Sajid suggested.