If you visit Swayambhunath in the mornings, you will find a unique harmony with ancient sounds. Specifically, prayer flags flutter, pilgrims spin prayer wheels and hundreds of Rhesus macaques roam around on the stones. The same thing is repeated on the banks of the holy river Bagmati at Pashupatinath. These UNESCO World Heritage sites are well known throughout the world for this close interaction of man with wildlife.

Yet, beneath the beauty, things are getting worse. Monkeys of Kathmandu’s temples are no longer wild. As cities have expanded rapidly for decades, these sacred places have become isolated concrete islands with forests cut off. These primates are trapped in the city, highly urbanized, hyper-aggressive, and fully reliant on humans. Once a symbol of our sacred coexistence, this tale has now become a complicated ever-growing dilemma for wildlife health.

In Hinduism and Buddhism, feeding animals is an act that brings punya or merit. Devotees and tourists arrive at Pashupatinath to Swayambhunath with bags of bananas, biscuits, bread, and sweets.

Although done with good intentions, this constant supply of high-calorie human food has disrupted the monkeys’ natural instincts:

• Conditioned aggression: Monkeys have learned to associate humans—and specific objects like plastic bags, backpacks, and extended hands—directly with food. If a tourist approaches without a handout, the monkey does not see an admirer; it sees a barrier to its meal, often leading to sudden, aggressive scratching or biting.
• Unnatural overpopulation: In the wild, monkey troop sizes are kept in check by natural food scarcity. The endless buffet at the temples has triggered unnaturally high birth rates, leading to massive troop sizes packed into very tight, crowded human spaces.

The public health angle: Zoonotic risks

The growing human-primate interface, especially in urban settings, is an ideal scenario for zoonotic diseases (zoonoses) to emerge, meaning diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. The issue turns from a simple nuisance to a serious public health problem here.

Monkeys are often a source of irritation, causing bites and scratches to visitors, especially children and tourists who may not understand monkey body language. All incidents must be immediately treated medically (at stress and high cost) and every one of these incidents demands rabies and tetanus treatment.

High prevalence of certain viruses, such as Simian Foamy Virus (SFV) and Herpes B virus, have been found in the Rhesus macaques at Swayambhunath and Pashupatinath. These organisms are not usually dangerous to the monkeys, but can be carried to humans through a fluid exchange conducted through a deep scratch or bite, causing serious health problems.

The crisis does not only occur through physical attacks. Animal wastes are a major problem when large populations of monkeys exist. Macaques are often seen rummaging through open bins, leaving behind decaying garbage at the steps and courtyards of the temples and even near water sources used by pilgrims when they are barefoot or conducting religious ceremonies. This makes it much more likely to have outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease in a specific area.

Finding a solution in Nepal requires navigating deep cultural and religious values. In a country where monkeys are treated as living avatars of Lord Hanuman, western methods of wildlife management such as culling or population reduction through elimination are completely unacceptable and culturally offensive.

Meanwhile, the local solutions that have been tried have been completely ineffective:

• The failure of force: By using catapults, sticks or throwing stones, you can only scare off enemies temporarily. Even worse, it makes the monkeys think that humans are active enemies, which will make them hostile and aggressive with humans in the long term.

• The translocation illusion: Moving ‘troublesome’ troops from Kathmandu to outside forests does not work. Because these monkeys have spent generations eating human food, they lack the foraging skills to survive in a true wilderness. They inevitably migrate out of the forests, invading nearby villages or agricultural lands, simply moving the conflict somewhere else.

Kathmandu must shift toward a modern and scientific ‘one health’ approach to preserve the culture of our shrines and safeguard public health.

Nepal must take the cue from the successful international models like in Jaipur, India or parts of Thailand. A systematic, humane population control program based on mass sterilization laparoscopic vasectomy and tubectomy of macaques can gradually decrease the number of animals in the troop over time without any adverse impact on the animals in the troop.

The authorities of the temple have to establish and strictly observe the "No Feeding" zones. Pilgrims should be educated in community outreach activities about the problem of feeding monkeys human food and the effects it has on their health (such as diabetes, dental decay, etc.) and its effect on their behavior (aggression etc.).

Any garbage dump inside the temple should be replaced with a heavy duty waste bin that is resistant to monkeys. Removing the easiest places to dispose of garbage removes one of the most important food sources and allows troops to naturally disperse and spend less time in high-traffic human pathways.

There should be clear and multilingual signage throughout Swayambhunath and Pashupatinath to educate tourists about the basic rules of safety, including avoiding eye contact with primates (which they consider a threat) and keeping food out of their way. Also, there must be a first aid booth with instructions in the temples to immediately wash and treat a monkey wound.

Conclusion

The presence of the monkeys at Pashupatinath and Swayambhunath is a thing which can't be denied as a part of the living story of Kathmandu. Their care must be taken but if the present crisis is left unchecked it will soon go out of control posing danger not only to millions of pilgrims but to the welfare of the animals as well. With a combination of our respect for nature and the use of modern veterinary science and urban planning, Nepal can make wildlife and faith live harmoniously in a safer, healthier environment.