📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ms Sarah Welch
Local
Chhattisgarh village fights langur menace with thorny roofs and hired guard
✍️ The Indian Express
🗓 13 Oct 2026, 07:38 AM
👁 19
Villagers in a Chhattisgarh hamlet have resorted to thorn‑covered roofs and a full‑time guard to curb repeated langur intrusions, while some residents allege a large‑scale killing of the primates.
In a remote village of Chhattisgarh, residents have been grappling with an escalating conflict with langurs that frequently raid homes and fields. To deter the primates, households have replaced conventional roofing with sheets studded with sharp thorns, a measure that aims to make rooftops unsafe for the animals.
Alongside the physical barrier, the community hired a full‑time guard who patrols the perimeter, especially during early mornings and evenings when the langurs are most active. The guard’s presence is intended to alert villagers and chase away the animals before they can cause damage to crops or property.
Some villagers, however, claim that the situation escalated into a mass killing of langurs, alleging that several animals were shot or trapped in recent weeks. Local authorities have not confirmed the reports, and wildlife officials have urged the community to adopt non‑lethal methods and seek guidance under the Forest Conservation Act.
The episode underscores the broader challenge of human‑wildlife coexistence in central India, where expanding agricultural lands and forest fragmentation bring people and primates into closer contact.
Officials from the district forest department have pledged to conduct a field assessment and explore mitigation strategies, such as planting buffer crops and installing solar‑powered deterrent devices, to reduce reliance on lethal measures.
Alongside the physical barrier, the community hired a full‑time guard who patrols the perimeter, especially during early mornings and evenings when the langurs are most active. The guard’s presence is intended to alert villagers and chase away the animals before they can cause damage to crops or property.
Some villagers, however, claim that the situation escalated into a mass killing of langurs, alleging that several animals were shot or trapped in recent weeks. Local authorities have not confirmed the reports, and wildlife officials have urged the community to adopt non‑lethal methods and seek guidance under the Forest Conservation Act.
The episode underscores the broader challenge of human‑wildlife coexistence in central India, where expanding agricultural lands and forest fragmentation bring people and primates into closer contact.
Officials from the district forest department have pledged to conduct a field assessment and explore mitigation strategies, such as planting buffer crops and installing solar‑powered deterrent devices, to reduce reliance on lethal measures.