It is a monkey's world out there!
We all love animals, yes? Well, in the city of New Delhi, the capital of India, this love of animals has gone a bit far. The city of New Delhi has been grappling with the problem of too many monkeys- most notably around the area of the National Parliament. These monkeys are cute, but they can be a menace too. They are not only a threat to themselves (there are lots of vehicles on the streets) but they are a threat to humans too!They can snatch things from people, even bite people, can carry rabies disease and be a threat to human health.Sometimes, they can enter offices and homes, and destroy things like computers, wires and other things inside the room.
A langur monkey waits for its handler while a younger monkey plays on the roof of a cabin at Parliament house in New Delhi on August 1, 2014.The presence of the langurs, taken care of by hired handlers, are used as a method to scare off other monkeys and dogs in the compounds of Parliament House.
AFP PHOTO/Prakash SINGH India is a country where humans are alright with interacting with animals in their daily lives. In many places, farm animals roam around freely and it is not uncommon to see bigger animals on the street with their handlers/owners.
If you are lucky, it is not uncommon to see a Camel handler with his Camel on the street, or even a Mahaout (Elephant handler) with his elephant, strutting on the highway!Perhaps, because of this tolerance towards animals, some animal species are flourishing. Monkeys being one of them. Some people also say that monkeys are treated especially well, because they resemble the Hindu god Sri Hanuman. Because of these things, some officials have come up with a unique way to keep people out of harm from the monkeys without harming them. One of them is a Monkey impersonator. Most monkeys are scared of an ancient monkey species called Langur. Some people are experts in making the calls of a langur. These people are employed to scare the monkeys away using their Langurs or making calls of Langurs themselves!
When they hear the voice of a langur, other monkeys think a big Langur is round the corner- and run away from that area.Hmm..smart thinking! And no one gets hurt too!
Mahendra Goswami, a former Langur monkey handler, mimics a langur's call used to scare monkeys in New Delhi on August 1, 2014. India has hired a group of monkey impersonators to scare the real marauding animals away from parliament and other key buildings in the nation's capital.AFP PHOTO/Prakash SINGH The second technique appears a bit scary. It involves a Paintball fight on the streets. Well, not really. The only thing is that the monkeys can't use a paintball gun. So the trick is to shoot paintballs at the monkeys to scare them without really harming them. It must cause pain to the monkeys though- and they stay away from that area.
A New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) employee fires a paintball gun as he demonstrates methods to scare monkeys in New Delhi on August 1, 2014. India has hired a group of monkey impersonators to scare the real marauding animals away from parliament and other key buildings in the nation's capital.AFP PHOTO/Prakash SINGH Well, they are thinking of many innovative ideas for sure. What do you think about animals being so close to humans? Do you have any ideas on how to solve the monkey problem? Write in the comments below.
