The Goa government, along with a few social outfits, is trying to bring a nomadic tribe – whose traditional occupation is hunting and eating monkeys – into the mainstream society.
“Its not an easy project. These people of ‘wanar-mare’ (literally, monkey-hunters) tribe who have no fixed address do not even enjoy the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, and therefore do not get any resultant benefits. They have been wandering in forests all these years, without a single government document. We have started an effort to get them into the mainstream,” said collector of South Goa district, Sachin Shinde.
At present, some hundred members of the tribe are camping in the Sanguem tehsil. The South Goa administration, along with organisations like Dabhal Gramvikas Parishad, is working towards helping them earn a decent livelihood.
The tribe is found in the jungles of Western Ghats in Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka.