The slender long tailed monkeys of Asia, known as langurs, are being deployed at the various venues of the Commonwealth Games to fend off the common bonnet monkeys, which often cause trouble and are prone to attack in public places.
More than 10 trained langurs were brought to the headquarters of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee before being assigned to particular venues, with their caretakers briefed about the various tasks.
The animal is known for his ferocious attitude to scare away the monkeys and is being used as an effective tool for the games. Often, a single langur is enough to scare away a troop of more than 20 monkeys.
Thousands of spectators and participants are expected at the various venues and the langurs have been brought in to protect them.
The majority have been allocated at the headquarters of the Organising Committee in New Delhi and also at the main Jawaharlal Nehru stadium where most of the events will be taking place. A few have also been deployed to monitor the Games Village for the competitors.
An official of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation, responsible for the deployment said this was an effective employment opportunity for the caretakers and their monkeys.
More than 10,000 athletes from 71 nations will stay in New Delhi at the Games village during the event.
