In Frames | Bare necessities

A simple method to scare away crop-raiding monkeys

The monkeys chomp away maize, vegetables and other crops in several parts of Telangana, leaving farmers in distress. But Chintapally Bhaskar Reddy (61) of Nagasamudrala Village of Koheda Mandal in Siddipet district, 125 km from Hyderabad, had a disruptive plan for them.

As stuffed toys of tigers and mobbing failed to scare the simians, Mr. Reddy hit on a different plan after a visit to a drama in Hyderabad. A sloth bear attire used by the troupe triggered his imagination to use it as an anti-monkey adaptation. He ordered one for ₹8,000.

He got the “sloth bear” costume stitched and asked his farm laborers to don it and patrol the area. It began to scare away monkeys like never before.

As evenings descend, his farmhand Ch. Chandram (35) dons the “suit” and strolls the periphery of the farms warding off the monkey groups. As Mr. Chandram gets weary in the heat, another farmhand takes over.

Mr. Bhaskar’s idea seemed to have had the desired results as other farmers are adopting it. As his wife Rajeshwari (50) leads the women farm hands for vegetable harvest in the afternoon, the smiles on their faces says it all!