Animals

Several vertebrate pests cause serious

damage to our crops. It thus becomes

absolutely necessary to protect our

crops against their ravages.

Animal pests include:

Primates: Rhesus macaque, Bonnet

macaque and Hanuman langur

Ungulates: Antelopes, Deer, Blue bull,

Boar and Elephant

Rodents: Porcupine, squirrel, and rats

and mice

Lagomorphs: Hares and Rabbits

A. PrimatesAmong primates, lemurs and monkeys

(macaques and langurs) are largely

vegetarian, eating leaves, buds and

flowers, fruits etc. Vegetarian nature

of their diet makes them potentially

destructive to crops and orchards.

Three species, which live in the

vicinity of human habitations in India

are important in this respect. These

are, the rhesus macaque (Macaca

mulatta) mostly in North India, the

bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata) in

South India and the Hanuman langur

(Presbytis entellus) all over India. The

damage caused by them to crops,

vegetables and orchards is

considerable.

a. Rhesus macaque (bandar),

Macaca mulatta

It is stout, olive-grey pink faced

monkey with a relatively short tail

about one-half the length of head

and body. It is distributed all over

North India. It lives in small to large

groups comprised of about 5-180

individuals. Though essentially a

plain dwelling species, it goes up to

about 1500 m altitude in the

Himalayas. Throughout its range, it

raids cultivated farmlands,

vegetable fields and orchards,

causing considerable damage.

Rhesus macaque

b. Bonnet macaque, Macaca

radiata

It is relatively small monkey with

along tail and longish, pink face,

and its body is olive to grey

brown. It is distributed all over

peninsular India. It live sin small

to medium-sized groups of about

3-76 individuals. It raids

farmlands and causes

considerable damage to

vegetables, tubers, fruit trees.

Bonnet macaque

c. Hanuman langur, Presbytis entellus

It is large, agile, graceful, long-

legged animal with black

faceand long tail and , which

is somewhat longer than head

and body. It is distributed all

over India. It lives in small to

large groups of about 3-90

individuals. It is highly

adaptable and lives in varied

habitats including vicinity of

towns, cities, farmlands and

orchards but never roosting in

human habitations, unlike the

macaques.

Hanuman langur

B. Ungulates

a. Elephants

Among the mammalian pests of

cultivated crops, the elephant

(Elephas maximus) is potentially

one of the most destructive

animal. Elephants eat a wide

variety of plants including ragi,

sorghum, paddy, sugarcane,

coconut, banana, mango and jack

fruit. Large scale removal of the

elephants’ natural food plants

such as bamboo, tall grasses and

Acacia for industrial use, may

force them to seek food from

cultivated crops.

Elephant

b. Blue bull

Blue bull, Boselaphus

traqocamelus has become major

destroyer of crops in several

states. It is called ‘Nilgai’ but is

not relative of cow. These animals

trample the fields at night and pull

down the standing crops, feeding

on the foliage part of the plants.

The crops damaged include wheat,

millet, pulses, sweet pea, carrot

and tomato. In certain areas

farmers have stopped cultivation

of pulses owing to presence of this

pest. With increasing damage by

this pest, there is wide spread

resentment among farmers

against wild life.

Blue bull (Nilgai)

c. Antelopes

Among antelopes, the black

buck, the chinkara and the

four-horned antelope damage

browsing crops, fruit trees and

forest transplants.

Considerable damage to bark

of trees is also caused during

the process of rubbing the

horns against the stem.

Black buck

d. Wild Boar

The Indian wild boar causes

damage to crops and forestry by

destruction of nursery beds,

uprooting of young plants and

stripping of bark of trees. They

have become agricultural pests

due destruction of their natural

habitats.

e. Fox

Foxes also damage crops like

maize. They feed on maize cobs

and also breaks plants.

Wild Boar

Fox

C. Rodents

a. Porcupine

Indian porcupine, Hystrix indica

causes damage to field crops

crops by digging them up. It

also debarks and girdles at the

base of young trees in

plantations and regeneration

areas, which results in outright

killing of plants.. They also cut

and devour the roots of

seedlings, saplings and

transplants.

Porcupine

b. Squirrel

Squirrels cause damage in

agricultural fields and in

plantations. They have been

observed damaging maize

cobs and young seedlings in

nurseries. Red flying squirrel

occurs in large large forests in

Himalayas. It is nocturnal in

habit and feeds primarily on

fruits and nuts of various

crops.

Squirrel

c. Rats and mice

Rats cause severe damage to crops

and domestic commodities, thereby

requiring to be controlled

effectively. The atmosphere and

surroundings of human habitations

are fouled by them to the extent

that it becomes intolerable for man.

Several types of diseases are

known to be transmitted by rats.

Besides consuming considerable

quantity of food, they contaminate

much more by urine, faeces, and

hairs and sebaceous secretions.

Religious sentiments of some

people come in the way of rat

control.

Mus booduga

Rat managementMechanical ControlTrapping, smoking and flooding of rat burrows and hunting help in reducing rat population.

Cultural controlRats can also be controlled by maintaining sanitation, properstorage of food materials, rodent proofing of buildings and cutting of bamboos.

Biological controlCats and dogs kill and eat rats. Likewise, owls also predate upon rats.

Chemical controlPoison baiting with 2% zinc phosphide is used to control rats. Anticoagulants like warfarin also proved effective against rats.

Bandicoot

D. Lagomorphs

a. Hare and rabbit

Hares and rabbits are one of the

best known wild mammals and of

considerable economic

importance. They are nocturnal

and graze mainly on grass,

herbs, scrubs, bulbs, roots, bark

etc. Instances of their becoming

pests on agricultural crops are

widely known throughout the

country. They do considerable

damage to crops like wheat,

barleygram, maize, jowar, bajra,

pea, mustard, bean, cabbage

and others. They are browse on

young fruit trees and forest

plants.

Hare

Rabbit

Let’s Sum UpAnimal pests include Primates, Ungulates, Rodents and Hares.

These animals have becomes serious pests of agriculture due to destruction of their natural habitats.

Among primates, rhesus macaque, the bonnet macaque and the Hanuman langur are important from agriculture viewpoint.

Ungulates comprise of elephants, antelopes, wild boar, blue bull.

Blue bull has become major destroyer of crops in several states. With increasing damage by this pest, there is wide spread resentment among farmers against wild life.

Rodents like rats, porcupine, squirrel etc. also cause considerable damage to agricultural commodities.

Rats should be managed through integrated approach involving mechanical, cultural, biological and chemical methods.

Lagomorphs like hares also damage agricultural commodities.