Peacocks, monkeys create a menace for crops in Goa; admin takes steps

The national bird and the state animal are getting the flak for damage to crops in Goa. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday told the Goa Assembly that peacocks and monkeys had become a menace for horticulture in the state. Even some years ago, peacocks, along with monkeys and the state animal bison, were on the state agriculture ministry’s list of vermin. In a written response tabled in the Assembly, Sawant also put down the steps taken by the administration to mitigate the damage. “Fruit-bearing local forest species are being planted in forest areas and other lands available for plantations.