New home for your leaping neighbours; 4 monkey forests coming soon in Lucknow

City administration is working towards building a new home for your leaping neighbours. To control the growing monkey menace away from the city, Lucknow will have four forest dedicated to monkeys on its outskirts.

As a pilot project, the first monkey forest will be developed in the Umaria village of Bakshi-Ka-Talab, covering an area of approximately six acres. Similar forests will follow in corners of the city, post this.

It is a given that monkeys have been a victim of human urbanisation. With their forests thinned or cleared, they travel to cities in search for food and shelter. To control monkey population within the city and build harmony between humans and monkeys, the Lucknow Administration has planned these forests, on the four corners of Lucknow.

According to district magistrate Suryapal Gangwar, "At present Umaria is being developed, but an action plan is also in pipeline to establish a monkey forest on the outer four corners of the city. Plantation of fruit trees will be done in the forest, so that the monkeys can get enough food throughout the year. Arrangements for a pond or reservoir will also be made."

In the recent past, the City Administration has received multiple complaints on its consumer complaints forum, for growing monkey disturbance in the city, especially in residential areas. As a counter measure, the LMRC had earlier also placed cut-out of langurs at nine metro stations. These cuts outs were accompanied by recorded angry langur voices, played at regular intervals to control the situation better.