Rising monkey attacks are threatening lives and livelihoods across Parbat, prompting calls from residents for a national control policy.

Jamuna Paudel of ward 6 in Phalewas Municipality said monkeys regularly enter homes, stealing rice and turning aggressive if stopped. “I am old, and when the house is empty, groups of monkeys come inside,” she said.

Raju BK of Thanamaula said the attacks are forcing villagers to leave their fields fallow, increasing pressure on farming communities to migrate.

Candidates campaigning in the area report that monkey control is a top concern. Nepali Congress candidate Arjun Prasad Joshi said complaints were frequent in Phalewas, Paiyun, and Bihadi, with monkeys digging up seeds. “If elected, I will push a resolution in Parliament. National policy is needed to control monkeys,” he said.

Voters have also raised the issue with CPN-UML candidate Padam Giri. Former UML district chair Raju Pasad Paudel, who campaigned with Giri, said monkey control is now discussed alongside roads, drinking water, and health services.

During his term, former Mahashila Rural Municipality chair Paudel said capturing monkeys was effective. “We caught 323 monkeys and sent them to Chitwan National Park. Hunters from Gorakhpur helped. But the programme ended after my term,” he said.

Paiyun Rural Municipality last year hired 35 temporary workers to chase monkeys during the maize season, spending Rs700,000. Ward 5 chair Nirbhik Narayan Bhurtel said the campaign was limited, as monkeys move across wards.

In ward 9 of Kushma Municipality, 15 families take turns guarding fields during the planting season. Phalewas Mayor Gangadhar Tiwari said killing monkeys may be the only solution. “What can we do when residents are forced to leave their homes?” he asked.