Study of man-monkey conflict and its management in Jodhpur, Rajasthan (India)

Abstract

Human population growth and activities like deforestation, agriculture and urbanization lead to an ever-increasing encroachment of wildlife habitats. Reduction of wild animals’ natural habitats altered into small marginal patches. Observations were scored who initiated the interaction (human or Hanuman langurs), the noted age classes and sex of the human and the langur, the density of people around the interacting individuals, the minimum distance between them, the interaction type, if food was present and if or how the langurs eventually obtained it, if the Hanuman langurs showed aggressive behaviour, and the visitors’ response to the interaction with the Hanuman langurs. We also found some differences emerged between what the visitors reported in the interviews and what we observed. Key words: Man-monkey conflict, langur, urbanization, Jodhpur.