Monkeying Around in Kandy
 For
the visitors and tourists the Udawattakelle monkeys who hang around
on the fringes of the forest reserve are a source of amusement and
pleasure. They give the impression that Kandy is a model city where
people and these wild animals share habitat in perfect harmony.
But those who have the fortune or misfortune to live or work adjacent
to Udawattakelle, the ancient forest reserve that the Kandyan Kings
established and protected, the story is somewhat different.
A homeowner who wished to remain anonymous complains that their
normal life is severely disrupted by the monkeys who damage the
car and household items, attack domestic pets, destroy plant material
in the garden, and damage the telephone wire. A similar story is
told by business houses, especially restaurants that are a favourite
of the monkey because of the food that they may find in the compound.
Everybody that is affected by the monkeys have a story to tell about
leaking roofs and costly roof repairs.
Nobody knows for sure if the monkey population has grown in recent
years. But residents who live close to Udawattakelle say that monkey
raids on their houses, hotels, schools and other human habitats
have risen in recent years. Dr Asoka Dangolla, who is a Senior Lecturer
in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Peradeniya, has looked
at the Udawattakelle Monkey problem from a scientific perspective.
He says that the monkeys appear to have got attracted to human food
mostly food waste because it is tastier than the usual food that
animals eat in their forest habitat. This may have also increased
the “carrying capacity” of the monkey habitat and breeding
leading to a larger population. But Dr. Dangolla says that he is
not aware of any scientific count of the Udawattakelle monkey population.
But it is evident that they have a protected home in Udawattakelle
and a good source of food in the town leading to a comfortable lifestyle!!
Of course the victims of the monkey raids have no objection to the
monkeys picking up food waste. What they object to is the damage
that they cause to the roofs, gutters and other exterior fittings
in the buildings, sometimes costing tens of thousands of rupees.
Some monkeys also make forays into the buildings.
The monkey problem has been discussed in several official fora among
others, Department of Animal Production and Health (Gatambe), Central
Provincial Council, KMC, and the Department of Wildlife Conservation
- in the last few years. But none of these discussions, it appears,
have led to concrete action.
Dr Dangolla cites several alternative methods to control the monkey
population that have been successful in other countries. Capturing
the monkeys every 5 years and injecting a hormone to prevent breeding
has been successful in Japan. Capture and translocation releasing
them in another jungle habitat- has worked in India.
In Kandy people who have had to face the harassment have resorted
to their own methods. These include catching and painting the monkeys
in different colours, sometimes using luminous paint, shaving, getting
them to eat chili, killing one monkey to set an example to scare
the rest, or catching one and keeping it in a cage. But none have
a lasting impact.
Controlling the monkey population in Kandy needs to be done in a
very humane manner with sensitivity to the feelings of the people
about animal life. Dr. Dangolla feels that capturing about half
of the current monkey population, performing surgery on both males
and females to prevent breeding, and translocating them may alleviate
the problem. He says that he has performed such surgery on individual
monkeys who have been ill or injured that required veterinary help
and released them back to the wild with the permission of the government
authorities. There are quite a few veterinary doctors who could
be mobilized to perform surgery, he says. But a real solution requires
substantial resources and the cooperation of several institutions
and agencies such as the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Department
of Animal Production and Health, CPC, KMC and the University. In
addition the Kandy public needs to be informed and educated on the
problem and the solution.
Dr. Dangolla, who has developed a proposal for such a project, says
that monkey that come in groups have to be captured using traps,
something that has never been done in Kandy. He estimates that a
trap that he has designed would cost around Rs100, 000 to build
and that about five such traps should be adequate for the entire
operation. But additional money is needed for surgery, translocation
and other related expenses he said. A government agency such as
the Central Provincial Council has to take the lead in this, Dr.
Dangolla said. Professionals such as himself could help, he noted.
Kalyana SLICA Promoting Friendship and Amity
The Sri Lanka India Cultural Association (Kalyana
SLICA) of the Central Province has become an established vehicle
to promote Indo-Lanka friendship and understanding. It also brings
together people of every community and from different walks of life
in a spirit of amity.
SLICA was inaugurated sixteen years ago. The founder president was
the former parliamentarian Shelton Ranaraja. Late Mr. T R R Rajan
took over as the next president. Mr. Rajan with the assistance of
the late Mr. C Nadaraja who served as the secretary of the Association
and with the backing of the Assistant Indian High Commissioner for
India resident in Kandy rapidly developed SLICA to be one of the
most active civic organizations in Kandy.
At present the Association has over 400 members. Mr. Duncan Nugawela,
Director of Ceylinco Group was elected president on Mr. Rajan's
death. Mr. P Rajanath succeeded Mr. Nadaraja as the secretary. They
have continued as a team for the last several years and done a wonderful
job to keep SLICA active and vibrant.
The highlight of the annual calendar of events of SLICA is the Kalyana
Ranga variety entertainment show consisting of Sri Lankan and Indian
dance and music. This is a very colourful event that attracts a
large and appreciative audience. It is usually held in the month
of November.
SLICA organizes talks on topics of current interest that are open
to the members and invitees.
The Children's Christmas Party and the Sinhala and Tamil New Year
celebrations for the members and their families are two other events
that the SLICA members look forward to.
The family of Mr. T R R Rajan has instituted the T R R Rajan Memorial
Scholarships that SLICA annually awards to deserving students.
The Executive Committee of SLICA consists of the following: President
Duncan Nugawela, Vice Presidents Tissa Weerasinghe, Gamini Rajapaksa
and B D R Rajan. Secretary P Rajanathan, Treasurer G S N Peiris,
Executive Committee Members: Shelton Ranaraja, Wijeya Wickremarathne,
Jeeva Rajan, R Manoharan, Bandu Edussuriya, V.Thimoolam, V K Dharmaraja,
R Rajasinghe, D Rathnayaka, M Jegatheesan, G A W Galgamuwa, A Ariyarathnam,
V Balasubramanium, M Sathyamoorthy, M R Saravenan, M Rajendran,
S Thilekeshwaran and Shirley Jayawardane
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