Monkey Feeding Debate Grows in Galliyat

News Desk

Peshawar: A debate has emerged among animal lovers, wildlife experts, and conservationists over the feeding of monkeys in Galliyat, with declining tourist activity raising concerns about the animals’ dependence on humans for food.

Social media posts showing monkeys wandering in search of food have sparked appeals from animal welfare groups urging visitors and locals to help the animals during the period of reduced tourist arrivals. Some people have suggested providing food to monkeys to prevent them from suffering due to the temporary decline in visitors.

However, wildlife experts have cautioned against such practices, arguing that artificial feeding can disrupt the natural behavior of wild animals and create long-term ecological problems.

Dr Muhammad Kabir, a wildlife expert and faculty member at Haripur University, said feeding wild animals changes their natural feeding patterns and makes them increasingly dependent on humans.

Conservationists said that monkeys in Galliyat and other tourist destinations have already developed altered eating habits due to years of receiving food from visitors. They warned that continued human feeding could reduce their ability to search for natural sources of food in forests.

Experts also highlighted broader risks, including increased human-wildlife conflicts, monkey bites, disease transmission, and changes in predator behavior. They said monkeys moving closer to human settlements in search of food can also affect other wildlife species, including leopards that naturally prey on them.

Muhammad Waseem, Manager at WWF-Pakistan, said forests provide natural food sources for monkeys and human intervention has disturbed the ecological balance. He added that feeding wild animals affects their role in the ecosystem, including seed dispersal that helps forest regeneration.

Wildlife experts urged visitors to follow conservation guidelines and allow animals to maintain their natural behavior instead of treating them like domestic pets.

The discussion has highlighted the challenge of balancing compassion for wildlife with the need to protect natural ecosystems and preserve the wild character of animals in tourist areas.