Himachal wildlife department decides to keep all 7 monkey sterilisation centres operational

The Himachal Pradesh Forest & Wildlife Department has decided to keep all seven Monkey Sterilisation Centres (MSCs) operational, despite considering closing five of them following the exclusion of the rhesus macaque from the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The seven MSCs, located in Shimla, Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, Sirmaur, Chamba and Una districts, have been managed by the Himachal Pradesh Zoo & Conservation Breeding Society (HPZCBS) since 2007.

The decision to continue the centres comes as the wildlife department faces renewed demands to include monkeys back on the list of scheduled animals. The department is currently exploring funding options through various schemes to sustain the sterilisation process. Manpower shortage and the increased incidence of monkey attacks in the state are identified as significant challenges in maintaining the MSCs.

The centres employ surgical sterilisation techniques, with a total of 1,88,752 monkeys sterilised since 2007, including 98,139 males and 90,593 females. The programme experienced a decline in its targets due to the 2022 amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, which removed the rhesus macaque from the schedules, affecting the legal framework for capture operations.

Between 2007 and 2025, the programme faced operational challenges, with only 2,284 monkeys sterilised against a target of 8,800 for 2024-25. The department is awaiting the results of a fresh population estimation exercise conducted in 2024. The long-term decline in the rhesus macaque population is attributed to sterilisation and other population-management measures.

A recent incident where a 63-year-old woman died after being attacked by a monkey has sparked local protests, demanding increased control measures to manage the monkey menace.