Tourists’ reduction in Galliyat triggers debate over feeding wild animals

PESHAWAR

The recent reports about monkey’s suffering due to the food shortage as tourist numbers have declined for Galliyat in the current month. This has triggered a debate over feeding of wild animals by pe.

A number of animal lovers are sharing pictures of monkeys wandering in open fields in Galliyat in search of food to avoid starvation due to reduction in tourists to the area.

The animal lovers while sharing pictures are making calls to raise funds to help the starving monkeys during this month as the tourists are not visiting sites of primates and other wild species.

Some appeals are made urging visitors to Galliyat and other scenic sites to bring breads or extra food for distribution among starving monkeys.

The appeals by animal lovers on social media were promptly   objected by conservation experts urging people not to take part in such an activity being detrimental for wild species in the longer run.  “Don’t feed animals in wild, it will change their feeding behavior,” warns Dr Muhammad Kabir, a PhD on Wolf and a faculty member of Haripur University.

Mission Awareness Foundation (MAF) asking for help from hungry monkeys in scenic tourist destinations. The post was made by a group member Shoaib Salim, a student and resident of Manshera district, who during a recent visit to Nathiagali observed sufferings of monkeys due to lack of food.

“I was sleeping in a room of a hotel during a recent visit to Galliyat and woke up to a voice of door scratching by monkeys trying to enter for getting some food,” Shoaib shares.  “They are not feeding from forests and are now dependent on tourists.

“Their feeding behavior is not like the animals of amazon. Please think about this” explained Dr Kabir.

“Wildness in monkeys has gone long ago, otherwise they will never come close to humans like this, Lets be part of wild nature’s welfare,” argued the member who made the post for monkey’s help.

There are thousands of monkeys in Galliyat whose eating habits have been totally changed and it’s not suitable to train them for adopting natural sources of feed, Shoaib said in support of his view point. After Ramzan, the old routine will resume as tourists start arriving and the same eating habit will return. So for one month’s break we cannot change their habit, he maintained..

“Hold on, think again and let them be wild, don’t make them pet,” adds another member of the group in support of Dr. Kabir’s points of view.

“I can understand your love for wild animals, but you need to follow protocol. This  activity of artificial feeding will have a negative impact on the wild population. Must read and follow instructions given by KP Wildlife dept,” adds Dr. Kabir.

Wrapping up the discussion, the WhatsApp group organizer, Malik Fahad, also shared some links of stories highlighting the negative impacts on wild species due to feeding by humans.  “Feeding monkeys by tourists in Galliyat and other scenic sites including Margalla hills has disturbed the eating habits of the animals which is creating a lot of problems for locals, wildlife protectors and visitors themselves,” concurs Muhammad Waseem, Manager WWF Pakistan.

Muhammad Waseem said nature has kept food for monkeys in forest, but providing them food by locals and tourists has affected the habits of the animal, disturbing the natural process by making them dependent on humans.  In Margalla hills, signboards are also placed advising visitors not to feed animals, especially monkeys and let them get food naturally, Waseem added.

“Feeding by humans is depriving different wild species of their instinct of wilderness and making them dependent on humans thus damaging the ecosystem, “comments Daud Khan Yousafzai an MPhil scholar from Buner whose research was on the same subject.

Shifting from natural food to human-provided items is also affecting the ecosystem because these monkeys play an important role in regeneration of different plant species through the distribution of seeds through fecal.

Sajid Hussain Field Assistant Common Leopard WWF-Pakistan when contacted also objected to distribution of food to wild species by humans.

He held that feeding by tourists has brought monkeys close to human settlements. This is not without consequences as we know that the leopards in Galliyat are now making more predation on livestock. Monkeys are prey of leopards but most of the primates have descended down in human settlements compelling leopards to opt for livestock resulting in the retaliatory killing by locals.

Sajid also made a disclosure that due to monkey and human closeness for getting food, the incidents of monkey bites are also increasing with risk of rabies because majority of the people in mountainous region are not aware about getting anti-rabies shot after a bite by monkey.

The report has been published on APP website and reproduced by The Penpk.com.