1 of 2 A totem is tied to a fence along an avenue to scare away monkeys, New Delhi, India, August 30, 2023. Photo: Portal/Anushree Fadnavis A totem is tied to a fence along an avenue to scare away the to scare away monkeys. New Delhi, India, August 30, 2023. Photo: Portal/Anushree Fadnavis
The city hall of New Delhi, India, will deploy a team of “monkey men” to scare away primates from the flowers that will decorate the city during next week’s G20 summit. Authorities will also use totems to ward off animals.
“We cannot remove the monkeys from their natural habitat, so we have sent a team of 30 to 40 trained men to scare away the monkeys,” Satish Upadhyay, vicepresident of the New Delhi Municipal Council, told AFP.
The “monkey men” imitate the howls and screams of the langurs, which are natural enemies of the small rhesus monkeys that roam the city’s green spaces. The team was distributed to hotels and places where animals stay.
To prevent primates from attacking delegation cars, authorities will use lifesize totems of langur monkeys. The idea is that the characters move, scaring the animals because they appear real.
“When they saw these clippings, [os macacos] They don’t go near roads and other places,” Upadhyay told Portal.
The preparation plan for the G20 summit was drawn up by the city in collaboration with the forestry department. Still, some people doubt that the methods will be effective because monkeys are extremely intelligent animals.
A previous test used a plastic langur that made noises to scare the primates. It took three days for the monkeys to maul him.
Although they are revered in the Hindumajority country, New Delhi’s large monkey population poses a threat. Primates not only destroy gardens and roofs, but also attack people for food.
For decades, men with trilling langurs patrolled the streets of the Indian capital. The practice was abolished when a court ruled that keeping animals in captivity was cruel.
2 of 2 men walk past monkeys sitting on a wall along a street in New Delhi, India, on August 30, 2023. — Photo: Arun SANKAR / AFP Men walk past monkeys sitting on a wall along a street New Delhi, India, on August 30, 2023. — Photo: Arun SANKAR / AFP