Save the Sylhet monkeys
Monkeys from a shrine in Ambarkhana area of Sylhet city regularly intrude into nearby homes for food, causing such a nuisance that locals formed a human chain last week demanding the primates are sent to reserved forests.
Following the human chain on Sunday, a number of environmentalists visited the area yesterday and demanded the government take steps to save the monkeys and provide them with adequate food.
Locals who formed the human chain said they did not want to have the monkeys culled. They just want the “naughty animals” sent to reserve forests. They want the Sylhet City Corporation authorities to take necessary steps to save the city dwellers from the nuisance.
They said Chashni Pir was an aide to Hazrat Shah Jalal (RA) and he had pet monkeys. The monkeys multiplied and the shrine became famous.
Abdul Karim Kim, general secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon, Sylhet chapter, told this correspondent that as locals use trees and plants as firewood, the number of trees and bushes in Tilaghar forest area had declined significantly in recent years. The monkeys rely on fruits, which have become hard to find near the forest, he added.
Sharif Jamil, joint secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon, told this correspondent that the government should make sure that the monkeys were feed properly. Unplanned urbanisation in Sylhet has caused the habitat conflict.
Monkeys lost their habitat and their food crisis began.
He said government should ensure food for the money and restore their habitat. This particular crisis could be turned into an economically viable tourism spot, he claimed.
When asked, RFM Monirul Islam, divisional forest officer of the Sylhet Forest Division, yesterday said they have no allocation from the government for feeding the monkeys.
He said he would inform higher authorities of the situation on the ground after visiting the spot. It would be up to the higher authorities whether they want to have allocations for monkeys, he added.
He said locals, including local councillors, complained to them about the “monkey menace”. “Monkeys bother people only when people bother them.” It is not in their nature to disturb people, he claimed.
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