In rural Nepal, farmers are increasingly battling aggressive macaque troops that raid and destroy crops, threatening local livelihoods. Communities across the country have adopted early morning patrols, armed with slingshots, sticks, dogs, and homemade noise-makers, in an effort to deter the animals from ravaging their fields. Despite these measures, the monkeys continue to inflict significant damage, underscoring a growing crisis in Nepal’s agricultural regions.
The surge in macaque activity began roughly a decade ago, coinciding with the government’s confiscation of firearms previously used by villagers during the Maoist insurgency to protect their crops and livestock. According to Dhurba Rai, a lawmaker from eastern Nepal, the removal of these weapons emboldened the monkeys, who have since become more brazen in their incursions.
The rising conflict between humans and wildlife has become a political concern, with lawmakers debating how to balance wildlife protection with the survival needs of rural communities. In July, a rural municipality in eastern Nepal temporarily closed schools and government offices to mobilize hundreds of residents in efforts to drive the monkeys back into surrounding forests. However, these efforts have proven only temporarily effective, as the animals quickly return.
The issue is exacerbated by demographic changes in rural areas. Villages are experiencing significant outmigration, with younger residents leaving for cities or work abroad, leaving behind an aging population struggling to maintain farmland and fend off the monkeys. For many, like 71-year-old farmer Debaka Karki, these threats are a daily reality. With her sons relocated to Kathmandu, she and her husband are left alone to tend their fields and keep watch against frequent monkey raids. On one recent morning, she briefly stepped away to fetch water, only to return and find her crops devastated by a troop of macaques.
In Dolakha District’s Dharnghar village, the population has declined sharply from nearly 800 in 2017 to about 150, leaving roughly half of the 210 households abandoned. Ganesh Karki, head of the local community forest, noted that these empty homes and fallow fields have provided the monkeys with expanded territory, facilitating their spread.
The macaques’ increasing boldness has also led to human injuries. Krishna Bahadur Khadka, 73, suffered a serious attack last year when a troop knocked him to the ground and bit his back, leaving him bedridden for nearly four months. He has yet to fully recover and credits passersby for intervening and preventing further harm.
As the conflict persists, rural Nepali communities face a challenging balance between protecting their agricultural livelihoods and coexisting with growing wildlife populations, with no easy solutions currently in sight.