Departing from its earlier stance to shut five out of seven Monkey Sterilisation Centres (MSCs), following the exclusion of the rhesus macaque from the schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Himachal Pradesh Forest & Wildlife Department has decided to keep these facilities operational and has initiated efforts to get funding to continue with the capture and sterilisation process of monkeys.The Himachal Pradesh Zoo & Conservation Breeding Society (HPZCBS) has been managing these seven MSCs in Shimla, Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, Sirmaur, Chamba and Una districts since 2007.According to officials, the proposal to close the five centres — Bakani in Chamba, Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur, Boul in Una, Salapar in Mandi and Sastar in Hamirpur districts — was discussed at the 22nd Governing Body meeting held on October 7, 2025, and that the rationalisation of the facilities was being considered in view of the reduced workload.It was also decided to continue with the Tutikandi centre in Shimla and the Gopalpur centre in Kangra, operating alongside the rehabilitation and animal rescue facilities, depending on operational requirements and future decisions.APCCF (wildlife)-cum-CEO, HPZCBS, K Thirupal said, “The wildlife department has almost closed the sterilisation of monkeys since 2024, given that primates are not scheduled animals for over one year. But now there are demands to include the monkeys back on the list of scheduled animals.“The monkey menace has also increased in several states, including Himachal Pradesh. In such a scenario, we have decided to continue these MSCs operational and have been making efforts to get funding to continue with the sterilisation programme.”Also Read | Why Shimla monkey menace poses questions beyond human-wildlife conflictAccording to officials of the Shimla Municipal Corporation, Shimla records 50-55 cases (figures are collected from government and private hospitals) of monkey attacks every month.Story continues below this adThirupal said the department used to get grants through the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management & Planning Authority(CAMPA) funds to sterilise monkeys. “We are exploring other schemes to get funding to continue with the sterilisation process.”According to officials, manpower shortage is another hindrance in keeping these MSCs operational. Monkey sterilisation teams also include members who attend human-wildlife conflict complaints. Also, these MSCs are located inside the Rehabilitation & Animal Rescue centres.Launched in 2007, the state monkey sterilisation programme is a key initiative to manage the rhesus macaque population and mitigate human-monkey conflict. The centres use surgical sterilisation techniques, including laparoscopic procedures, to control reproduction before the primates are released into the wild.Between 2007 and 2025, as many as 1,88,752 monkeys, including 98,139 males and 90,593 females, were sterilised at these centres — 34,632 at Tutikandi (Shimla), 43,049 at Sastar (Hamirpur), 35,738 at Gopalpur (Kangra), 34,343 at Boul (Una), 10,779 at Bakani (Chamba), 17,095 at Salapar/Dhanog (Mandi) and 13,096 at Paonta Sahib (Sirmaur).Story continues below this adAccording to the HPZCBS annual report released on Thursday, the programme faced operational challenges following the 2022 amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, which removed the rhesus macaque from the schedules. The change affected the legal framework governing capture operations, contributing to a decline in the number of monkeys brought to the centres.Against a sterilisation target of 8,800 monkeys for 2024-25, only 2,284 were sterilised, the report stated.Meanwhile, the department is awaiting the results of a fresh population estimation exercise conducted in 2024.A 2019 survey pegged the rhesus macaque population at around 1.36 lakh, a 33 per cent decline from 2015, when their population was calculated at approximately 1.80 lakh.Story continues below this adA senior wildlife officer attributed the long-term decline to sterilisation and other population-management measures. “The report also highlights the value of infrastructure, trained personnel and technical expertise developed at the centres over the years. These resources are important for future primate-management strategies, even as the department considers restructuring the programme,” the officer added.Sixty-three-year-old Satya Devi Chauhan died in Shimla on September 5 after she was injured in a monkey attack on the roof of her house on August 30. Following her death, several local organisations held protests against the authorities and demanded that they control the monkey menace.