Let Shivamogga farmers shoot monkeys: BJP MLA Araga Jnanendra

BENGALURU: Araga Jnanendra, the BJP legislator from Thirthahalli, on Thursday urged the state government to allow Shivamogga farmers to shoot down monkeys that damaged crops. He claimed that this approach could also help prevent cases of monkey fever.
“Either you ensure monkeys are taken to the forest or you allow us to shoot them at sight,” he said in the assembly, criticising the government for failing to contain what he claimed was a monkey menace.“Last year, the government had proposed to create a monkey park and chief minister BS Yediyurappa set aside Rs 6 crore for the purpose, but nothing has been done since then.”
He raised questions over the sterilisation exercise. “We don’t know whether they are sterilising male or female monkeys. The government should reveal how many monkeys have been sterilised so far,” he added.
The government announced that a new sterilisation programme had been planned to tackle the problem in various parts of the state, especially Shivamogga. Industries minister Jagadish Shettar, who spoke on behalf of forest minister Arvind Limbavali, said that veterinary doctors had been trained for the programme and cages had been acquired to trap the animals.