Really, monkey business!

This is simply hilarious or unbelievable to say the least! MPs who are a terror themselves are scared of Macaques at the Parliament. And the brilliant idea to scare them off – 40 good men have been hired to don the ‘disguise’ langurs or monkeys and scare them off! One would think this is some kind of a joke but no, its true! Truly this can happen only in India! We know unemployment is at its peak but this job? Imagine, a youngster putting it on his resume – previous work experience as a langur! This is really monkey business at its best!

But it seems the menace of monkeys (the real ones) is not one to be taken lightly.  These monkeys are all around the Parliament lawns and on lawns of India Gate, climb over prestigious Govt buildings, chew out cables, attack staff, snatch away food and yes, they are also known to walk through the corridors of power! In 2007, Delhi’s deputy mayor fell to his death after being attacked by monkeys. Post this, ‘monkey catchers’ were employed but those standing for cruelty against animals staged a protest and these catchers had to go, once again allowing monkeys to roam free and create havoc.

So now we have these 40 ‘monkey men’; who will behave like, well, monkeys, making noises like them and scaring them away. They will get around Rs.800/day and might have to come to work for 10-15 days of a month. Rs7000 to 8000 a month for acting like monkeys, not bad at all!

One thought though – how were these forty men selected for the job at the interview? Did they have to climb trees, scratch and snarl like monkeys – only talent required for the job?