Cut-outs of langurs deployed along G20 routes to scare off monkeys

Senior officials said that the NDMC intends to employ 40 trained personnel to mimic the sounds made by grey langurs to ward off monkeys

In a bid to keep rhesus monkeys away from transit routes and venues during the G20 Summit, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has begun placing life-size cut-outs of grey langurs on roads along the Central Ridge, according to a report by The Hindustan Times (HT).

Senior officials were quoted as saying that the municipal body intends to employ 40 trained personnel to mimic the sound made by grey langurs to ward off monkeys from G20 Summit-related venues and hotels.

NDMC vice chairman Satish Upadhyay stated that these steps are being taken to ensure that monkeys stay inside the Ridge and do not cause disturbance to the motorcades of dignitaries. The langur cut-outs have been put up on an experimental basis, and NDMC will observe their impact on the monkey density. NDMC has trained people who are experts in making sounds similar to langurs. These personnel will be deployed at various sites across New Delhi to keep monkeys in check, Upadhyay added.

Experts have expressed scepticism about the effectiveness of these methods and said that a broader study is required to address Delhi's monkey problem.

In 2007, Deputy Mayor SS Bajwa was attacked by monkeys. He fell off the terrace of his house and died due to a fatal head injury.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) began catching and transferring monkeys to the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, following orders from the Delhi High Court.

An MCD official stated that over 21,000 monkeys have been relocated to the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary over the last 16 years. The rhesus monkey was removed from the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) schedules in May this year, allowing them to be treated akin to street cats or dogs.

NDMC does not employ any monkey catchers to relocate the monkeys to the sanctuary and is thus using langur cut-outs to drive away the simians.