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Monday, October 25, 2010

Forest officials catch 10 monkeys

Tuesday, Oct 26, 2010
http://www.hindu.com/2010/10/26/stories/2010102651760300.htm



THANJAVUR: With a view to put an end to the monkey menace in the west main street area in the town, forest department officials caught 10 monkeys using traps on Monday.

According to V.Thirunavukarasu, District Forest Officer and Udhayakumar, forest ranger, these animals have been keeping people on tenterhooks as some of them have bitten children.

People presented a memorandum to the state Commercial Taxes Minister S.N.M.Ubayathullah and Collector M.S.Shanmugham, who directed the forest officials to put an end to the menace.

Mr.Udhayakumar said eatables like fruits and cereals were used to lure the monkeys one by one into a trap and the operation was carried out since 5 a.m. These monkeys will be left out at Pachamalai hills near Tiruchi.

He also said that catching monkeys is a routine affair for forest department. Nearly 500 monkeys have so far been caught in Thanjavur town and left at Pachamalai hills and Kodiakarai near Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district.

Besides monkeys, forest department officials also catch snakes which enter into human dwellings and return them to the wild. Birds like peacocks when wounded or trapped were also be rescued, Mr.Udhayakumar said.