The aim of the government resolution is to disrupt the pattern of monkeys returning to populated areas for food. | Photo credit: The Hindu
For the first time, the Maharashtra Forest Department has laid down a clear rule that monkeys caught for causing trouble in towns and villages must be released at least 10 km away from human habitations so that they do not easily return to those places again.
A new Government Resolution (GR) was issued on Tuesday (November 25, 2025) to this effect following growing complaints that macaques and langurs are wandering into homes, damaging property and in some cases attacking and injuring people.
The GR says that in every reported case of human-monkey conflict, the local municipal body or gram panchayat must register a complaint and summon the concerned ranger of the forest range. After verifying the number of animals involved and the damage caused, a trained rescue team will be allowed to capture the monkeys.
Each division has been asked to maintain its own rescue squads and forest department officials can also appoint experienced licensed handlers if needed, it said.
Once captured, the monkeys undergo basic medical examinations. Their photos and short videos must be recorded to maintain transparency. Only then can they be transported and released into a suitable forested area away from human settlements – a distance which the GR has set at a minimum of 10km.
The goal, officials say, is to break the pattern of monkeys returning to populated areas in search of food.
The government has also worked out the financial side of the process.
Rescue teams will receive ₹600 per animal for up to 10 captures at a time and ₹300 per animal above that number, with a total cap of ₹10,000 per incident.
The travel allowance was set at ₹1,000 for smaller operations involving up to five monkeys. Payments will be made by direct transfer of benefits after verification by the Forest Officer.
The forest department explains in the GR that repeated sightings of monkeys in city markets, housing societies and farms made the move necessary. Forest officials and local civic bodies are now expected to coordinate closely, especially in busy urban belts where these conflicts have spiked in recent years.
Interestingly, this GR comes just a week after the state issued another detailed order on the management of stray dogs, which laid down strict responsibilities of urban local bodies regarding capture, sterilization and relocation.
Published – 25 Nov 2025 20:06 IST
