Thieving monkeys 'out of control' in northeast India
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Sat Nov 17, 3:08 AM ET
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GUWAHATI, India (AFP) - Troupes of monkeys are out of control in India's northeast, stealing mobile phones and breaking into homes to steal soft drinks from refrigerators, lawmakers in the region have complained.
"Monkeys are wreaking havoc in my constituency by taking away mobile phones, toothpastes, sipping coke after opening the refrigerators," Hiren Das told Assam state's assembly.
He said the primates were "even slapping women who try to chase them".
"It is a cause of serious concern in my area, with more than 1,000 such simians turning aggressive by the day," fumed Goneswar Das, another legislator representing Raha in eastern Assam.
Assam's wildlife minister, Rockybul Hussain, said the state government has formed a panel to study the problem.
Because of shrinking forest cover, monkeys have increasingly moved into cities elsewhere in India as well.
Last week, around two dozen people were hurt after monkeys rampaged through a New Delhi neighbourhood.
Last month, the deputy mayor of Delhi died when he fell from his balcony after being attacked by monkeys.
Efforts to drive out the animals is complicated by the fact that devout Hindus view them as an incarnation of Hanuman, the monkey god who symbolises strength.
If you go to yahoos page above maybe they have more information.
Well above is where the journal stopped on myspace but then I thought some more. I didn't mean to think this was just going to be a piece of news. But then I remembered about another thing in India about how the Elephants would find that wine and get drunk and go on a rampage. Not because they are mean but because they get drunk. I wonder if they really like just the taste or if they prefer the getting drunk part, maybe someone could do a study on that for one of those nature channels.
The reason for these troubles and others like deer in Amherst , or mountain lions or bears eating people is that Habitats for animals are getting smaller. If you believe in creation or evolution it doesn't matter they where hear before we where so we are moving into their space not the other way around. Some would argue that we are better then they are so it is there lose, not a bad point really. But what those people forget about is that there is a balance in nature. Mankind has been throwing things out of balance for a long time. Making the air and water dirty over all is the biggest one. But as more trees and rain forests get cut down then we don't even have the things that in nature can get rid of the carbon monoxside (sp? whats new). I won't get into the fact that most of us eat more then we need to and have done things like shot Buffalo for sport and not even use the meat or skin for anything. There are places (yes I want to visit them) like China and Japan that are very overcrowded. Humans are slowly killing the earth. Some people might say we are not causing global warming. They have a right to that thought. Even if we aren't that doesn't make my point any less.
Global warming is good for the earth. It just isn't good for humans. I will admit that I don't have the science background to know what will happen in theory. I don't think the science people really do. We know that if the ice caps melt then they will turn into water in some form. No one really knows how much the water will rise. First of all when water expands when it frezes. secondly how much of that ice will evaporate and turn into rain and where will it rain. How will the changing water temps effect the weather. You can make all kinds of gueses and use science but that is all they are. But what we can assume is that water levels will rise and some land will be lost my Cali maybe it will be greenland, Japan or Texas. But what I assume is that there will be a loss of life and land that is very high. Maps will have to be re drawn. Who knows maybe the change in climate will cause the us to be a lot smaller and it will rain regularly in places known as deserts. But what I'm pretty sure about is that the earth will at some point will re balance the equation. I just hope that the people who live through it and smart enough to record everything and learn from man kinds mistakes. Hey but maybe global warming is just a way for people to make us fear and then control us economicly, wouldn't be the first time.
I totally agree with what you say here. I just made the monkey statement because most Delhites hate them. They have been a constant source of annoyance to people in my city ever since I can remember. They jump on people, scratch and maul passers-by, tear up clothes, dig up plants and are unruly and menacing. :/
I think it's good that people are thinking about global warming and its consequences. It's also high time that people took some action to actually stop it from getting worse. I have a huge guilt trip everytime I generate trash, waste energy, use non-biodegradable products, fly on airplanes and generally increase my carbon footprint. I have signs everywhere - in my office, at home to remind me to turn off things, and conserve as much as I can. But it's not the actions of a handful of people which make a difference, it's the action of a population as a whole, of countries and continents.
However, such feelings of helplessness are not helpful at all. I believe we all should personally take drastic steps in our lives - because even if we look like whackos and hippies, it's contributing toward saving our planet. I couldn't care less about people who think I am "weird". You can go to your graves with the knowledge that you were a worse human being for not even trying.
Check out my and (e:libertad)'s posts about carbon footprints and recycling. Every single thing counts. When it comes to reducing carbon foot-prints, there is no such thing as moderation. It is out of control just like the monkeys are. It needs immediate action. So the post is actually apposite. The monkeys are an analogy to how we as selfish humans are running our lives today.
Sometimes I get into a philosphical mode. Thanks for the info. I assumed that since it was reported that it was something New. It seems so strange to me that people would feed monkeys on purpose. It would be like if I walked into downtown Buffalo and feed the pigieons or sea gulls down by the waterfront. I still think that the balance of nature is thrown off by humans though.
BTW, just so things are viewed in a balanced perspective, monkeys are always out of control in Delhi - global warming or not. It is the banana-feeding nasty habit of apparently "pious" housewives, priests and business men who have nothing better to do, that has slid the city into so much monkey trouble.