Press Clippings

Monkeys in Nepalese Culture
Anil Chitrakar
http://ecs.com.np/heritage_tale.htm

At sacred sites and in religious forests all across Nepal we see monkeys. There are monkeys at Pashupatinath, at Gokarna forest, at Swayambhunath and at Thapathali near the Bagmati Bridge. Monkeys also form the theme for a collection of idols and icons in many religious sites. Many are statues of Hanuman. In Patan, at the four corners of the golden temple complex (Hiranya Varna Mahavihar) the bronze statues depict monkeys holding jack fruit or mangos.

To find out what the statues mean, we look to the Jataka Tales, that have been used for centuries as vehicles of Buddhist ethical teachings. The Buddha obviously lived at a time when there were many monkeys and used them as characters in the stories he told to explain difficult concepts. In one story thousands of monkeys live in a large fruit tree that overhangs a river. One monkey is aware of a large city downstream and worries that if any jack fruits float down and the people come looking for the source, the monkeys will be in danger. Sure enough, when one fruit drops and goes down river, a crowd comes looking. They find the tree, and archers are brought in to get rid of the monkeys. The good monkey quickly makes a reed bridge from the tree to the other bank, but it is short by the length of this body, so he stretches himself across the last few feet allowing all the monkeys to escape.

There are many stories told about compassion and care for the members of your sangha, or community. Next time you visit the Golden Temple look for the bronze monkeys at each corner, holding the mango or jackfruit. Monkeys today are under threat due to encroachment on their habitat and being used to test drugs and cosmetics before marketing them to humans. They are also captured for food in some countries. As many conservation ads tell us, the killing will stop only when the buying stops. In the debates about Creation and Evolution, the monkey is usually the central conversation piece. The only problem is that I still have not been able to answer my daughter’s question: “If man evolved from monkeys, how come we still have monkeys?” Anyone?

There are many ways in which Nepalese society uses the monkey to describe human behavior. My favorite among these is translated as ‘coconut in a monkey’s hands’. Many people are holding very valuable, important, rare and once in a lifetime opportunities in their hands, but just cannot figure out what to do with them. The monkey tries to figure out what to do with the coconut and when he fails, it may actually end up being used as a weapon! Humans do the same. Over the past two decades, ‘democracy in the hands of political parties’ has been referred to as ‘a coconut in the monkey’s hands’.

Another great tale is about a cap seller who is traveling between villages selling the traditional Nepali topi. As he approaches a village, he comes across a stone water fountain and a shaded stone platform with two huge “baar and pipal” trees. He washes himself, then takes a nap with the sack of caps next to him. He is awakened by the noise of many monkeys jumping on the branches and sees, to his dismay, that they are wearing his caps. He becomes angry and chases the monkeys with a stick to try and get back his caps. After a long and frustrating time, the trader gives up and in total abandonment throws his own cap on the ground. A strange thing happens—all the monkeys throw their caps down the same way! In the development field, many people are criticized because they preach water but practice wine.

The relieved cap seller collects all of his goods and happily moves towards the village. The moral of the story is simple: You can shout at people, you can chase them with a stick; but, ultimately, the only thing that will matter is what you do! People are watching what the leaders of new Nepal do—not what they say or ask us to do, even with a stick! If you do not like the medicine yourself, do not prescribe it to others.

From: The Himalayan Times, June 3, 2003
Monkeying around with laws of the country
By Shree Ram Subedi

Conservationists and officials concerned with wildlife are uptight over a recent health research-cum-treatment conducted on rhesus monkeys by the US primate centre and its local partner at Swayambhu. For two reasons.

One: It was done illegally. An Act enacted in 1973 makes it mandatory that for such research on animals, domesticated or not, prior permission of the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation has to be obtained. "We carried out the treatment on the request of the Swayamabhu Development and Managing Committee," said Dr Mukesh Chalise, general secretary of the Natural History Society, the partner of the US centre in Nepal . But that argument clearly does not wash.

"During the course of the four-day treatment, stool, blood, swap and hair of 43 monkeys were collected. The monkeys were darted with sedatives or trapped in nests to conduct the tests," said Mahendra Ratna Bajracharya, general secretary of the foundation.

Dr Ravi Sharma Aryal, a PhD on the implementation aspects of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in India and Nepal, said, "It's a type of bio-piracy to collect blood samples from wild animals without the permission of DNPWC."

Section 26 of the DNPWC Act, 1973, empowers the state to levy a fine of Rs 10,000 or to jail for two years anyone causing harm to wildlife. "We were not notified during the entire operation," said , director general of DNPWC. He said his department would seek explanations from both the bodies.

Two: Certain quarters feel the treatment of the monkeys was but an insidious beginning of a sinister design.

In a move that will not only enrage wildlife enthusiasts but will also draw protests from devout Hindus, the US centre is seeking permission to set up a subsidiary in Nepal and to use monkeys for bio-medical research. A request by the Centre was turned down in 2001 on the grounds that monkeys are venerated as Lord Hanuman in Nepal . "We intend to set up a primate centre to export the second generation of the captive monkeys and perform biomedical research," said Dr Chalise.

But till date Nepal has no rules governing farming and breeding of monkeys. But the DNPWC Act of 1973 permits export or import of animals or animal parts only with its permission.

"Our monkeys should not be allowed to be used as guinea pigs," says Gopal Guragin, a journalist specialising in wildlife. India had, in 1977, banned the export of rhesus monkeys to be used in US military laboratories.

Meanwhile, the International Primate Protection League has asked individuals to protest the plan. It has requested Nepal not to build a monkey laboratory and not to export monkeys. The league, on its website, has also requested individuals and organisations to write letters to King Gyanendra and the Nepali ambassador to the US requesting not to move ahead with the plan.

From: Nepali Times, 6-12 June 2003
Monkey business
Hemlata Rai

Following the Indian ban on the export of rhesus monkeys for use in bio-medical research, Western research labs now seem to be eyeing Nepali monkeys.Two years ago the private Natural History Society (NHS) in Kathmandu put forward a proposal to provide monkeys to foreign labs, but dropped it after conservation activists, particularly the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation created a furore. Mukesh Chalise of NHS doesn't understand the fuss: “We are not talking about selling our monkeys, we just want to provide scientists with primates to conduct studies. It would contribute to the whole of humanity.” This time, activists allege, the Washington National Primate Centre (WNPC) and its Nepali counterpart, NHS, have decided to come through the back door. A group of US researchers led by Randall Kyes of WNPC conducted a five-day ‘health camp' for rhesus on Swayambhu Hill where 20 monkeys were said to have died from a mysterious epidemic.But this was apparently done without permission from the government's Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation. During that time, they collected stool, blood and hair from more than 40 monkeys and flew back to Washington , their activities still largely unknown. “This is a case of bio-piracy,” says a source at WWF (World Wildlife Fund for Nature Conservation) Nepal Chapter. Our email queries to Randall Kyes went unanswered. For over 30 years, the WNPC has been active in primate research overseas. The centre maintains a breeding colony housing over 1,000 monkeys in Indonesia and also works with the Institute of Medical Primatology in Russia . At the American Society of Primatologists annual conference held in June last year, Randall Kyes is said to have expressed WNPC's interest to establish a monkey-breeding centre in Nepal to ensure the availability of non-human primates for bio-medical research. Nepal does not have a law on the export of laboratory animals, but a1973 law empowers the government to fine or imprison up to two years anyone found guilty of trying to “harm wild animals for any purpose”. The chief of the Department of National Park, Swayambhu Man Amatya, maintains that his office is not aware of any activities conducted by WNPC in Kathmandu recently. Meanwhile, the International Primate Protection League (IPPL) has posted an appeal in its site www.ippl.org to protest plans to exploit Nepali primates, and has also requested Nepal not to allow monkey-breeding labs to be set up.India banned the export of rhesus monkeys in 1977 on the grounds that they are worshiped as the god, Hanuman. China is the biggest exporter of monkeys for bio-medical research, while the US is the biggest importer of primates with an annual intake of about 14,000 primates.

From: Nepali Times, January 30, 2004
Year of the monkey
We could see the beginning of a new Nepali trade monkeys for medical science.
By NARESH NEWAR

They're our closest neighbours in the chain of species. Which is exactly why Rhesus monkeys are so highly valued in bio-medical research. Except now there is a global shortage of primates because many countries have imposed bans on their export. Here in Nepal , monkeys share our streets, neighbourhoods and temples and we're not party to any bans. Little wonder then, that the world's largest primate importers are wooing us.

Plans are already underway to set up a primate facility in the country funded by the US federal government. The Division of International Programs of the Washington National Primate Research Center (WoNPRC), established in 1999, supports two long-standing international programs in Indonesia and Russia . The third one was reportedly established in Nepal in collaboration with Natural History of Society of Nepal (NAHSON). Randall Kyes, head of International Programs at the Washington National Primate Research Centre, has already visited Nepal several times to establish a primate program.

The Nepali face aligned to the American drive is monkey specialist Mukesh Chalise. In 2001, he approached the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation (KMTNC) to start a primate research centre and a clinical research laboratory in microbiology in Nepal . His proposal received a strongly worded response from the trustees: "The objectives of the centre can be called a combined wishlist of zoo keepers, epidemiologists, veterinarians, microbiologists, primatologists and biomedical researchers using non-human primates. The proposal is faulty.(and) ambitiously yields to the international experts and their funds which it says will bring sustainability. It is wrong".

Three years later, Chalise could be luckier. The Wildlife Farming Act passed last year by the government allows anyone to rear and breed certain wildlife. "He has to present a detailed work plan and then only will we decide to what extent the government will support him," says ecologist Shyam Bajimaya from the Department of National Parks & Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC). They are waiting to receive his proposal to start a breeding and research centre.

Conservationists are suspicious about the extent of the government's support of Chalise. They are worried that he may be allowed to export rhesus monkeys abroad to research laboratories where scientists are willing to pay $5,000 - 10,000 for each monkey. The DNPWC has already agreed to supply the monkeys from the national parks to Chalise for breeding purposes at Rs 25,000 per monkey. He can begin business with the second generation. "If there is surplus population, there is no obstacle for him to export them," adds Bajimaya.

While this may be a simple issue for the government, animal rights activists and conservationists are worried about the cruelty involved in scientific research in US laboratories. Some are asking for a national debate on the issue before the government legalises export of any animals for research. Noted biologist Pralad Yonzon is frustrated with the silence of conservationists working in dozens of international conservation organisations in Nepal . "If the conservationists are not raising the issue then that is a huge problem. We should never allow Nepal 's monkeys to be used for bio medical research," says Yonzon who also runs Resource Himalaya, a private independent regional biodiversity organisation.

Until a few years ago, the Philippines and Indonesia used to be two of the biggest exporters to the United States . But both countries have now made the export of monkeys illegal. One of the first countries to impose the ban was India in 1977, after pressure from the International Primate Protection League (IPPL), begun by Shirley McGreal in 1973. McGreal influenced the Indian ban by publicising gruesome radiation experiments on monkeys, which are sacred to many Hindus. There was a time when India exported more than 100,000 monkeys a year during the 1950s.

Indonesia introduced the ban nearly two years after 110 monkeys died en route from Inquatex, a Jakarta supplier, to Worldwide Primates. This was followed by the Philippines , Bangladesh and Malaysia . But this crucial step had not been easy with US pressure mounting on these countries. McGreal says that the State Department threatened to cut off foreign aid unless Bangladesh renewed monkey exports immediately. "The US government and even the World Health Organisation exerted pressure on India to reopen exports," said McGreal.

Nepal-based animal welfare activist Lucia de Vries says: "The US, keen to conduct bioterrorism experiments on primates, is desperate for lab monkeys, which is why they turn to countries with weak legislation and a willingness to sacrifice its precious wildlife, such as China, Vietnam, Indonesia and, lately, Nepal." While exporting monkeys from Nepal has not begun and may take a while, this is exactly why many believe it is the right time for the government to tackle this issue seriously. "There needs to be a debate before the government takes another big step by letting the monkeys be exported," says noted naturalist Tirtha Bahadur Shrestha.

Primates continue to be essential to medical research, especially to study AIDS. Scientists say that monkeys make major contributions to the study of cancer, dental research and malaria treatment as well. According to the US Department of Agriculture, more than 49,000 monkeys and apes were used in medical research in 2001. "If this is about cruelty, then we should stop slaughtering animals and killing vegetables for food too," says Chalise. "Common species should be used for human welfare. There is no harm in exporting monkeys."

From: Spotlight, Vol. 23, No. 31, February 20 - 26 2004
Monkey Business?
Wildlife activists have deplored the possibility of exporting Nepalese monkeys for bio-medical tests abroad
By KESHAB POUDEL

A letter of intent signed between the Nepalese government and a local NGO Natural History Society of Nepal (NHSN) regarding the permission granted to the NHSN for breeding, farming and conducting research on monkeys - Rhesus Macaques - has sparked a new round of controversy.

Animal activists have expressed concerns that these monkeys will land in the medical labs in the United States and elsewhere for lethal medical tests and have demanded immediate halt of the process.

Although this species of monkey is found everywhere in Nepal with the population of over 40,000, there are concerns of misusing them for medical experiment. Nepal also is home to another species of monkeys called Assamese Monkeys, which are enlisted under the protected list of Nepalese government.

The government officials defend the agreement saying that it is in accordance with the government's recent Working Policy on Wildlife Farming, Breeding and Research 2003. According to the policy, the government can permit farming of endangered species and other common species for commercial purposes.

Rhesus macaques have lived alongside human for centuries. They are also found in the capital valley. They roam extensively ranging from mountain to hills and southern plains, competing and conflicting with human. Thanks to the conflict with human being, more than 1,000 monkeys were trapped and killed by farmers in mid-hills in the last one year.

“You cannot justify exporting the monkeys in the ground that they are destroying the crops. It is a well-accepted culture of people who live alongside the monkeys. This is a century old practice even in Valley where large number of monkeys live in temples including that of Lord Pashupatinath and Swayambhunath Stupa,” Dr. Prahlad Yonzon, president of Resources Himalaya, an NGO working to promote the conservation of wildlife. “We are concerned about the news of breeding the monkeys for medical research.”

Rhesus macaques have become the primary target of biomedical and behavioral research using primates because their relative willingness to breed in captivity has made them the monkey of choice for scientists. Once "harvested" from the breeding corrals infants are typically moved to a "nursery" and kept with another cage-mate. Often, monkeys caged in these solitary situations develop self-injurious behaviors such as self-biting, hair pulling, and repetitive motions.

“Our policy has to facilitate the commercial farming of wildlife species like Ghariyal, crocodile, black buck, Danfe Bird (Impyan Pheasant), Munal (Sapyrpragopan) and Cheer Pheasant. Other wild life species include Barking deer, Spotted Deer, Samber Deer, Hug Deer, Monkey, Snakes and all kinds of birds are also included,” said Mohan Prasad Wagle, spokesperson at the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation.

After issuing the permission, the government will provide seed animal to those firms. There are different price tags for the revenue for seed animals ranging from US$ 80 for all kinds of birds to Crocodile at US$ 500. The government set per monkey price is US$ 300.

Animal rights activists express concerns that this decision will open the way to export Nepalese monkeys to the United States , Japan and Germany for medical research purposes.

“I am shocked by the fact that the new act on wildlife farming is being misused to allow to breed and export Nepalese monkeys for biomedical research. Nepal is rightly proud of its successes in wildlife conservation but now a different trend seems to be set: money first. The decision comes at a time when research institutions increasingly find alternatives to the use of non-human primates in research - that is why a growing number of countries have banned this kind of research. The US, keen to conduct bio-terrorism experiments on primates, is desperate for lab monkeys, which is why they turn to countries with weak legislation and a willingness to sacrifice its precious wildlife, such as China, Vietnam, Indonesia and, lately, Nepal,” said Lucia de Vries, a Kathmandu-based Dutch journalist and animal welfare campaigner. She is also involved with the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals/Nepal.

Of all lab animals, primates suffer the most. Some primates share 99 percent of their genes with humans. This is one of the reasons why monkeys are considered special and sacred in Nepal.

”It appears money is the only motivation for this decision. Government department can earn up to Rs. 25,000 (US$ 300) per monkey, while the second-generation primates can be sold for US$ 50 to 100 to American labs. We should not allow Nepalese monkeys to die a painful, slow death in American labs, just for the sake of enriching a few,” said Lucia. Others hold different views. “This is just a propaganda of certain vested interest groups on our well-intentioned proposal. We applied to the ministry in accordance with the rules and regulations of the government of Nepal . We will strictly follow the government guidance in course of our research,” said Dr. Mukesh Chalise expert of Natural History Society of Nepal (NHNS). “Our intention is not to send our monkeys for death but to use them for human benefits.”

Following vehement criticism from different environmental and animal rights group, the government had cancelled a similar proposal two years ago from similar organization.

“This is not for conservation effort to benefit local community or bio-diversity. This kind of breeding is purely with purpose of bio-medical research where our monkeys has to go through an enormous level of painful suffering as they have to show physical and psychological response to the untested drugs,” said Dr. Prahlad Yonzon.

“There is clear guideline for the breeding and it is in accordance to in situ,” said a senior official at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. According to the letter of intent, the government will deliver 150 monkeys as soon as NNHS establishes basic infrastructures to farm monkeys. Along with monkey, the government has already permitted another NGO for commercial farming of snake.

Monkey is widely worshiped by Hindus as a faithful of lord Ram Chandra. Along with Hindus, Nepal 's large number of mountain people, who recently celebrated their new year Lhosar, have declared this year as being the Year of Monkey.

At a time when local animal rights groups have started to raise the question, International Primate Protection League (IPPL) has posted an appeal in its site (www.ippl.org) to protest plans to exploit Nepali primates, and has also requested Nepalese government not to allow monkey-breeding labs to be set up. “We have already received more than 300 petitions from around the world and we will hand it over to Nepalese prime minister and Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation,” said Lucia, who is mobilizing the animal rights groups in the country and abroad.

India banned the export of rhesus monkeys in 1977 on the grounds that they are worshiped as the god, Hanuman. China is the biggest exporter of monkeys for bio-medical research, while the US is the biggest importer of primates with an annual intake of about 14,000 primates.

IPPL has fought the cruel international traffic in wild primates for 30 years. The IPPL reveals that this trade has increased greatly in recent years. In 1995, 9158 primates were imported to the United States ; in 2002, 18856 monkeys were imported, an increase of 106 percent. Crab-eating macaques from Asia are by far the most heavily traded monkeys, followed by rhesus macaques and squirrel monkeys.

“The Division of International Programs of the Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC) was established in 1999 to help direct, strengthen, and expand the Center's international collaborations. The WaNPRC currently supports two long-standing international programs in Indonesia and Russia and a third recently established program in Nepal ,” said Lucia.

Its Nepal Program was formally established in 2001 in collaboration with the Natural History Society of Nepal (NHSN) in Kathmandu . This program will support the breeding of SRV-free rhesus macaques and facilitate collaborative research and educational/training opportunities for Nepalese students and researchers, and assist with primate conservation efforts in Nepal including a population survey of Nepal 's endangered Assamese macaque.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2004/2004-05-18-04.asp

Nepal Authorizes Wildlife Farming for Conservation
By Deepak Gajurel

KATHMANDU, Nepal , May 18, 2004 (ENS) - Wildlife farming might sound like a contradiction in terms, but it is the government of Nepal 's new strategy for conserving animal species. New avenues have been opened for farming, breeding and research of high value wild species under the government's new Wildlife Farming, Reproduction and Research Policy.

The government started providing licenses for wildlife farming immediately after promulgating the policy. Since the parliament is dissolved and the country is reeling under political uncertainty, the only option to establish a law to this effect is by ordinance. After six months of issuing licenses, the government is now working to write proper legislation.

"Since we do not have parliament, an Act for this purpose will be brought through ordinance," said Narayan Sharma of the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation. "The ordinance is currently being given a final touch," he said.

Meanwhile, to facilitate and encourage researchers and conservationists to undertake wildlife farming, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) has already granted licenses for farming and research of rhesus monkeys, snakes and vultures. The DNPWC is a government agency, under the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, which looks after protected areas and wild species of plants and animals.

The protected species that are permitted for farming under the new policy include the gharial crocodile, Gavialis gangeticus ; the black buck, Antilope cervicapra ; Nepal 's national bird the Impeyan pheasant, Lophophorus impejanus ; the crimson horned pheasant, Tragopan satyra ; and the cheer pheasant, Catreus wallichii .

Other species on the list for wildlife farming permits include the barking deer, spotted deer, sambar, rhesus monkey, hog deer, wild boar, snakes and all bird species.

Under the new policy, the DNPWC would provide seed animals for farming and breeding. The permission fee ranges from 5,000 to 40,000 Nepali rupees (US$69 to $555) per animal depending on the species.

The government's decision on wildlife farming, reproduction and research policy is in conformity with the Tenth National Plan, which mentions farming high value wild animals and birds.

The Tenth Plan - a five year plan ending in April 2006 - specifically points out the need to improve the livelihoods of women, the poor, and disadvantaged groups by conserving biological diversity through farming of high value wildlife, and promoting involvement of individuals, groups, nongovernmental organizations and institutions in wildlife farming, reproduction and research.

The policy sets criteria that the applicants for wildlife farming must meet before obtaining licenses such as basic infrastructure, management and technical qualifications and expertise.

Wildlife experts have welcomed the new initiative. "The wildlife farming and research policy will help conserve wild animals. This will also promote various types of researches for the benefit of human being," says Dr. Sanat Dhungel, a former DNPWC director general.

Another former director general of the department, Dr. Udaya Raj Sharma, has a mixed reaction. "We should use our natural resources for the benefit of our people. The wildlife farming policy is a positive initiative in terms of conservation aspects," Sharma says, but he cautions, "An effective monitoring mechanism should be in place, otherwise this policy would promote illegal trade in wildlife."

Monitoring and evaluation are the key to success of the policy, which stipulates that a regular and effective monitoring mechanism is essential to ensure that there is no illegal activity under cover.

"The DNPWC will monitor the farmers and the animals every six months." says Surya Bahadur Pandey, who serves as an ecologist and management officer with the agency.

"The policy represents sustainable use of natural resources, as many countries are doing around the world," says Dr. Randall Kyes, head of International Programs in the Regional Primate Research Center at University of Washington . The University of Washington is planning to collaborate with Nepali experts in research on monkeys.

On a research trip to Nepal , Dr. Kyes told ENS, "There should be a proper and effective mechanism so that there is no negative impact on natural populations."

Primatologist Dr. Mukesh Chalise, who is president of the Nepal Biodiversity Conservation Society and is a professor at Tribhuwan University , has obtained a license for farming and conducting research on rhesus monkeys. He has started working on plans to establish infrastructures for research on this wild species.

"First, we are going to breed the monkeys in captivity," said Chalise. "We will start research on monkeys of first generation (F1 generation) at our research facility."

The research will be conducted with the monkeys bred in captivity. The Wildlife Farming, Reproduction and Research Policy prohibits the use in any type of research of any wild species provided by the government as seed animals.

"This is a good initiative for biomedical research and any genetic discoveries or findings can be claimed by Nepal . This will eventually benefit Nepali people," says Dr. Kyes.

There are others who find problems with the wildlife farming policy. "The government is working under policy. We still do not have any legislation for this," says legal expert Dr. Rabi Sharma Aryal, who wrote his doctoral thesis on implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in South Asia.

"Going ahead with just a policy in hand might make the whole endeavor in vain. First we have to have proper legal framework," said Aryal.

Though there is no controversy over snakes and vultures, licenses granted for farming and research of rhesus monkey has drawn protests, some on the ground of cruelty to the animals and others on religious grounds.

Animals rights activists are campaigning to stop research on monkeys. They allege that under the cover of research and farming, Nepali monkeys will be supplied to laboratories in the United States for biomedical research.

According to some activists, the United States requires over 14,000 monkeys for research annually.

A petition has been filed with the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation demanding a halt to providing monkeys for research. The petition, supported by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Nepal; the International Primate Protection League; and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, states that "Nepal will not deserve credit for providing monkeys for biomedical research by maintaining outdated, unreliable, and unethical methods for conducting studies."

According to the campaigners, the policy on wildlife farming should not facilitate breeding and export for biomedical research of monkeys, or any other animal.

"This is just propaganda by certain vested interests. Our intention is not to send our monkeys to death but to use them for human benefits," contends Dr. Chalise.

The government officials do not care about the campaigns. They do not see anything serious in such campaigns. "We are still working on the proper legal framework. In addition, the policy does not allow export or commercial use of any wild species," says conservation officer Surya Bahadur Pandey at Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.

Dr. Dhungel goes further in agreement with the government move. "We should allow farming and research on any wild species including one horn rhinos if it benefits the people and the nation. Our natural resources are not for the sake of protection. We should make sustainable use of them for the welfare of human beings," Dhungel argues.

The population of rhesus monkeys in Nepal is abundant, according to Dr. Chalise. They are not on the government's protected list but are found in jungles and also in temple areas, including those in Kathmandu .