Gairsain (U'khand), Mar 3 (PTI) Over 38,000 monkeys have been sterilised in Uttarakhand and released into the wild, the state Assembly was informed on Wednesday.

Giving the information in reply to a question by BJP MLA Chandan Ramdas, Forest and Wildlife Minister Harak Singh Rawat said there is an estimated population of 1.5 lakh monkeys in the state out of which 38,115 have been sterilised and released back into the forests from where they were trapped as per the Centre's and National Green Tribunal's guidelines.

Three monkey rescue centres have also been built in the state where 48,000 simians can be accommodated, he said.

Earlier, Ramdas said monkeys are destroying standing crops in the hill areas causing great resentment among farmers.

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