Residents alarmed as packs of wild animals damage property: 'It may soon become nearly impossible to control or capture them'

A photographer recently spotted an iconic animal in Western India and raised the alarm with local authorities, according to Vibes of India. 

What's happening?

Bhushan Pandya was a State Board for Wild Life member and is a wildlife photographer in the province of Gujarat. He found rhesus macaques, which normally reside in Central and Northern India, in Gir Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Nearby villagers reported that the macaques had already damaged rooftops, solar panels, pipes, and cables. Farmers have also suffered from swarms of monkeys decimating their crops. 

Worse still, invasive species, especially social ones such as the rhesus macaque, can act as a vector for novel diseases. 

Rhesus macaques are omnivorous, aggressive pack animals. Their presence in Western India has the potential to displace native primates and disrupt delicate ecosystem balances.

Why are rhesus macaques important?

Invasive species are typically transported to new environments by humans, whether accidentally or on purpose. Once there, they're free of the checks and balances they evolved with, which creates opportunities for them to rapidly outcompete native species. Over time, invasive species can establish monopolies on resources and precipitate declines in local biodiversity. 

Estimates suggest that invasive species cause hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses annually. 

India isn't the only place where this particular species has proved to be a threat. The rhesus macaque has also been doing damage in Florida. 

What's being done about rhesus macaques?

Aggressive wildlife management is often what it takes to remove invasive species from habitats, but it's much easier to do so when the threat is still minor.

Pandya issued a clear warning to regulators and urged immediate management efforts to clear the rhesus macaque from Gujarat.

"Any delay will only worsen the situation," he said, per Vibes of India. "If they are allowed to multiply and disperse, it may soon become nearly impossible to control or capture them."

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