NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 20, 2005: An unusually large group of Rhesus macaque monkeys, who seem to share the space with ministers and bureaucrats in New Delhi, are causing havoc at government offices. The increasingly aggressive animals swing effortlessly between the offices of the defence, finance and external affairs ministries, and have even been spotted in the Prime Minister’s office, government officials say. The monkeys, who barge into government offices, stealing food, threatening bureaucrats, and even ripping apart valuable documents, are virtually unstoppable. According to rough estimates, there are at least 1,500 monkeys scampering in and around the stately red sandstone buildings just a stone’s throw from the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the president’s official residence. But officials say there is little they can do to deal with the monkey menace at the North Block and the South Block. Killing the animals has been ruled out, as monkeys are incarnations of Lord Hanuman.
Some years ago, former Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh had taken the lead to ward off the simian terror invading these offices and took on the services of the black faced “langur,” an ape the monkeys seem to be mortally afraid of (click here). Other offices, too, have picked up the service since then. Langur keepers were hired as government employees and paid a sum of US$113 rupees per month for the apes’ services. “This is a simple and easy way out of the problem and it does not involve any bloodshed also. They run away at the mere sight of him,” said Shyam, who owns two Langurs. The langur, monkey trainers say, scares the day light out of the smaller simian cousins like a neighbourhood bully.
A permanent solution, however, is still a long way to come, it seems. As of now, the monkey menace is very much prevalent and government employees still walk to work, warily armed with sticks and stones to protect themselves from monkey attacks.