Baitadi, Dec. 31 -- As monkey menace continues to devastate farms and force families to abandon villages in the far-western hills of Nepal, neighbouring India has moved ahead with a systematic sterilisation campaign to control the growing primate population. On the Nepali side of the Mahakali river, however, local people say there is still no concrete or coordinated plan to address the escalating crisis.

Across the border in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district, Indian authorities have launched an extensive monkey sterilisation drive in response to rising complaints from rural communities regarding the monkey menace. The campaign targets long-term population control rather than temporary deterrence.

According to Indian officials, hundreds...