Monkeys have Cuffe Parade by the tail

Mumbai: Around 1,000 residents of Cuffe Parade have been left petrified due to a group of monkeys that frequent their area and unleash mayhem.

The monkeys, which are said to number three, not only enter their homes but have also been taking away things by opening the fridge, snatching away mobile phones and even breaking utensils.

The residents allege that the forest department is not keen to rescue the monkeys and put an end to the menace.

Societies severely affected by the monkey menace, which has been going on for the past four months, include Damani House, Lovely Home, Shivala, Maker Towers, Hassamal near Taj President Hotel and Jal Kiran.

Haresh Hathiramani, (51) who runs a store in Colaba and stays in Sainara Society, said, “These monkeys are a menace and have become a serious matter of concern for all of us. We wanted them to be rescued by the forest department so that they are released safely in their natural habitat but nothing seems to work this way.”     

Some residents said the monkeys look trained and may have belonged to monkey charmers. The charmers could have abandoned the monkeys after the animals had grown old, they said.

Sanyogita Parekh, a housewife who stays in Venus Apartment, recounted her nightmare. “The monkey once entered my bathroom, where he not only destroyed all my creams by applying them on himself but also after coming into my room removed my phone from the charging point and threw it on the (30th floor) balcony slab,” she said.

Laura D’souza, who is a doctor and also stays in Sainara Society, said, “The monkey managed to slide the windows, enter my living room and eat the mangoes. They not only ate them but also dumped them all over in the room, which became an utter mess. I have been calling forest officials but it seems they aren’t keen on helping us.”

Various other residents that the papers spoke to complained of the monkey spoiling their dinner, creating ruckus in the kitchen by opening the fridge and loitering around.  

Mayur Kamath, Mumbai’s Honorary Wildlife Warden and State Wildlife Board member, explained that monkeys identify objects offered by humans and understand that it is something that they can eat. Hence, offering foods to the monkeys needs to be stopped, he said.

Range forest officer Santosh Kank was not available for comment.