Wildlife stickers to keep simian invaders at bay?
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The Pioneer
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Jammu
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23 Jul 2012
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A palm size sticker warning against feeding monkeys and two junior employees of the wildlife Department is all the Jammu and Kashmir Government could spare of fight the monkey menace inside Government Medical college hospital in Jammu on Saturday.
Alarmed over the series of news reports highlighting the issue of monkey menace, the officials of the State Wildlife Division in Jammu sent its two-member team with a pocketful of sticker to carry out awareness drive in the hospital premises.
In a five-floor building, one of the employees of the rank of Forest Guard was seen moving up and down the hospital wards with a simple message for attendants: "After having your lunch please do not throw away leftover food items in open. Food spread in open area is an invitation to monkeys to come near you and then may attack you."
Though the Forest Guard spent considerable amount of time interacting with the attendants but he was also unhappy with the support and campaign material issued to him by his senior functionaries.
When he was asked why they were not carrying other campaign materials other campaign materials, the Forest Guard smilingly said, “We are only carrying these small stickers and we have pasted some of them on the hospital walls. We have not been given big banners or posters by the senior authorities so that we can spread awareness among patients/attendants here in the hospital."
Interestingly, the campaign material used by the Forest Guard was originally designed by the Wildlife Department for preventing practice of feeding monkeys on the National highways. On the other hand, a day after Medical Education Minister RS Chib held a review meeting at the hospital, the hospital authorities swung into action and carried out cleanliness drive in the hospital and started regulating movement of visitors.
About tackling monkey menace, the hospital authorities have still not devised any strategy as to how they are going to deal with the crisis situation. On the other hand, large numbers of attendants who come face to face with roaming monkeys continue to reports episodes of growing monkey menace.
When we start eating food we normally come across monkeys in the galleries in top floors of the hospital, complained attendants. The evening as group of monkeys indulge in merry making and play games in empty galleries, attendants complained.
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