Pokhara, Feb. 9 -- On January 29, chairman of ward 19 of Pokhara Metropolitan City issued a public notice urging people to participate in a campaign to fell trees in their property, purportedly to control the growing number of monkeys from entering the villages.

Ward chief Pushpendra Pandey called for public support to make the 'I will cut down my trees' campaign effective. The public notice asked people to cut down trees on their property within 10 days. He claimed the move would help control the rhesus macaque monkeys locally called rato bandar.

While some troubled locals praised the initiative and extended their support to the ward chief, the majority of the public deemed the notice insensitive and pointless. Following criticism from...