Guest guest Posted December 27, 2000 Report Share Posted December 27, 2000 Wednesday, December 27, 2000 - South China Morning Post by S. N. M. ABDI in New Delhi Authorities in Nirman Bhavan, the huge complex housing the ministries of Health and Urban Development in the Indian capital, have unleashed a specially trained monkey to keep an army of simians at bay. Officials said they woke up belatedly to the old maxim - set a thief to catch a thief - and deployed four-year-old Raju to put an end to the monkey business that has been going on for years. The incredibly aggressive Raju, who sent nearly all his cousins packing in less than two months, has earned the nickname Rambo. His keeper, Shyam Kumar, pockets 5,000 rupees (HK$277) per month for his services. Before his arrival, the simians stormed offices, smashed glass windows, tore up files, polished off lunch boxes, occasionally sank their teeth into human legs and generally scared the daylights out of everyone. Officials experimented with extra fencing costing tens of thousands of rupees and bananas spiked with tranquillisers. They even requisitioned the services of professional monkey catchers but to no avail. Shooting them was ruled out because monkeys and apes are venerated by devout Hindus as the faithful companions of the mythological god-king, Ram. Ram's favourite ape, Hanuman, accompanied him during his long exile and played a key role in his comeback. Raju's modus operandi was fairly simple: he growled and charged at them. Resistance by some visitors ended in violent clashes. Gradually, the monkeys gave up and left. After the clean-up act, employees can now move around freely, windows are opened and the staff no longer tread the corridors with trepidation. Many office complexes and residential areas in New Delhi are plagued by monkeys which often bite young children. Civic authorities regularly round up the animals, which are released in nearby forests and invariably return to their territory within days. One of the worst affected places is the All India Institute of Medical Sciences - the country's flagship hospital in the heart of the capital - where monkeys chase frightened nurses down the corridors, bite doctors and patients and hang around operating theatres and intensive care units. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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