Visitors to Darjeeling’s famed Mall Road may now think twice before offering food to monkeys. The hill town’s municipality has imposed a penalty of Rs 5,000 on anyone caught feeding the animals.
The order, announced by Darjeeling Municipality, comes after repeated complaints of monkey menace, ranging from food snatching to aggressive attacks that have led to a rise in rabies cases. The fine applies equally to residents, shopkeepers and tourists.
Municipality Chairman Dipen Thakur said the decision was necessary to protect both people and wildlife. “If they are not fed, they will bite. The number of rabies cases has increased in Darjeeling. That is why we passed this resolution. Posters, banners and hoardings have already been put up. The fine is the same for tourists and locals. A separate monitoring team will especially keep watch in the Mall area,” he said.
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Over the years, monkeys in Darjeeling have grown dependent on food handed out by humans, especially tourists at popular sites such as Mall Road. Forest officials noted that such behaviour has disrupted natural instincts. “Tourists, in particular, often feed them snacks at popular spots like Mall Road, unintentionally encouraging them to abandon their wild instincts,” a forest department official explained.
The municipality has held meetings with the forest department, market committees and voluntary organisations to enforce the ban. State Chief Forester (Wildlife) Bhaskar JV welcomed the initiative. “Feeding monkeys changes their eating habits, which is harmful to the animals themselves. If they do not get food, they become aggressive. The municipality’s decision is correct and we will extend our cooperation,” he said.
Authorities believe that the move will push the monkeys back towards their natural food sources in the forests, thereby reducing dangerous encounters between humans and wildlife.
For now, feeding a monkey anywhere in Darjeeling is a costly mistake. The municipality has made it clear that anyone, resident or visitor, will be fined Rs 5,000 if caught.
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