Fruit saplings planted to keep monkeys at bay

Damauli: Fruit saplings have been planted at Umachowk community forest in Myagde rural municipality-2 of Tanahun to contribute to mitigating human-animal conflict.

Fruits of different species have been planted to keep the rampaging monkeys engaged in the forest to keep farmers’ crops safe. The Division Forest Office provided financial assistance to develop a model fruits forest.

Myagde rural municipality chair Mayadevi Rana, Division Forest Office Tanahun chief Komal Raj Kafle jointly inaugurated the plantation of fruit saplings. The monkeys are getting into the human settlement in search of food when they did not find the same in the forests. The troops of monkeys have also started destroying the agro products of the farmers.

Chief of Sub-Division Forest Office Myagde, Manoj Ranabhat said fruit plantation was adopted as a strategy to keep the wildlife in the forest. A total of 850 fruit saplings of different 14 species have been planted in three hectares of land, he said.

The Division Forest Office Tanahun has provided Rs 750 thousand for this program while the community forest will partner for bearing 20 percent of the cost of the program.

“We have started to plant fruit trees that will bear fruits annually and are savored by monkeys in the bush and jungle. We will complete planting fruit saplings all over the designated area in a couple of days,” he said. Saplings of the kafal, chiuri, Jamun, amala, local mangoes, katahar, litchee, etc have been planted.

It is believed that the fruit trees will start bearing fruits in two or three years. This will keep the simians engaged in the forest while sparing the crops of farmers.

“Monkey menace is seen in various places of Myagde and it is more so at Umachowk. We have many incidents of monkeys attacking people right in their farmland.”

Chief of the Division Forest Office Tanahu, Komal Raj Kafle said this program is believed to be effective in reducing the human-wildlife conflict.