Rourkela: Responding to complaints about monkey attacks and nuisance in Deogarh town, the forest department conducted a six-day operation to capture and relocate them. The drive, carried out by Deogarh forest division between Oct 16 and 21, resulted in the capture of nine monkeys. The animals were released in an interior forest area, DFO Rashmi G said in a press release on Thursday.The operation was launched under the DFO’s direction following repeated complaints from residents. A team comprising biologist Sudhiraj Lenka, rapid response team (RRT) forester Purnachandra Dhalo, forest guard Pulin Bihary Pradhan, Deogarh RRT members and range staff carried out the exercise at Pradhanpat.Officials monitored the troop and used net-trapping techniques to capture monkeys identified as aggressive or problematic. The animals included two alpha males, two adult females and five sub-adults. “The initiative aims to reduce human-monkey conflict in Deogarh town and promote peaceful coexistence between people and wildlife through wildlife management measures,” Rashmi G said. Officials said the relocation is expected to provide relief to residents while managing conflict in a humane manner.