People of Munshiganj are frustrated with the menace of monkeys. Packs of marauding monkeys are seen to storm on roads, houses, trees and elsewhere of the district. For more than 200-year, these monkeys have been living here for generations.
Often monkeys in large groups are seen to invade human habitations in search of food. Local people and visitors, however, occasionally served those monkeys with some foods like Banana, bread, loaf and biscuits.
The chief in the group of monkeys usually grabs the major share of the food and the rest of the monkeys start quarrelling and fighting over the food. But, after the quarrel, the group members are reunited again and start to jump on the branches of the trees, rise on the multistoried buildings and house tops, swim and dive by jumping in the water of ponds.
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Mother monkeys' fondness for their children is also worth watching. Mother monkeys are seen to collect food by carrying their children on the back or on the bosom. They are also seen to breast-feed their children.
People coming from faraway places are seen to watch those monkeys with huge interest. Some of them were seen to throw various food items at the monkeys.
However, people of the locality are frustrated with the monkey menace. Bimal Paul of Kahra Bazar informed, many people purchase food items like banana, potato and vegetables from the market and while carrying those through the road and monkeys attack them and loot the bag laden with the purchased goods. Often those hungry monkeys also bite the passerby.
Ranjit Das, a local resident of Munshiganj informed, the monkeys have been living for generations in Munshiganj-for more than 200-year. Their numbers are increasing day by day. Most at the day time, they sit on the roads seeking food from the passerby.
Students and children passing through the roads find it very difficult to walk through there. Due to trouble from the monkeys, no one can plant trees. No vegetables and fruits can grow on the trees. All are consumed by the monkeys. Due to the decrease of forest and trees, no food is available there; as a result, monkeys are now entering human habitations in search of food.
It is learnt, the villages Khraha, Madankhali of Munshiganj and neighbouring Churain under Nawabganj of Dhaka district are mainly inhabited by hundreds of monkeys. People of these three villages have been living with monkeys for ages. Earlier, the villages were surrounded by forests and many fruit bearing trees. But, now there is an acute shortage of food for those monkeys in the areas.
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Pranab Kumar Ghose, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Sreenagar informed due to imbalance in natural environment, monkeys are suffering from the want of food. As a result, they are invading the human habitations. These monkeys are creating trouble at the houses of the local people.
He further said he would talk to the authorities of Forest department to take those monkeys to the open reserved forest. He also assured to arrange food for those monkeys.