3 weeks ago
Langur Mimicry Artists Hired to Deter Monkeys at Badminton Worlds
A big sports event called the Badminton World Championships is coming to New Delhi, India.
The matches will be played in a big stadium, but there is a problem: monkeys live nearby.
During an earlier tournament, a monkey got into the stands and surprised everyone.
So the organisers came up with a clever plan to keep the monkeys away.
They hired special workers who make loud sounds like a langur, which is a bigger monkey.
Smaller monkeys are scared of langurs, so they run away when they hear the sound.
People are not allowed to use real langurs, so humans do the imitating instead.
Some people laugh at this idea, but famous player PV Sindhu said it shows India's warmth and effort.
The stadium also got new lights and other fixes so the tournament can go smoothly.
Organisers hired trained 'monkey whisperers' who mimic langur calls to scare rhesus macaques away from the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
The measure follows a monkey disruption in the spectator stands at the India Open in January, which made international headlines.
The use of real langurs for this purpose has been banned under wildlife laws since 2012.
Reports differ on the number of hired mimics: The Indian Express says four men, while the other report says three trained individuals.
PV Sindhu endorsed the effort as 'uniquely Indian,' and organisers also upgraded lighting, repaired roof leakages, and added bird and monkey deterrents.
The BWF World Championships return to India after 17 years and run from August 17-23.
- Who
- The organisers (Badminton Association of India and Sports Authority of India) hired professional langur-mimicking 'monkey whisperers' such as Jabbar and Zafar; shuttler PV Sindhu endorsed the effort.
- What
- Trained artists will imitate langur grunts and snorts to scare rhesus macaques away from the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium during the BWF World Championships.
- Where
- Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, India, with practice courts at KD Jadhav Stadium.
- When
- The BWF World Championships run from August 17-23; the monkey disruption occurred at the India Open in January.
- Why
- To prevent monkey intrusions and other issues that disrupted the India Open earlier in the year and drew international criticism.
Key facts
- Event
- BWF World Championships (badminton), returning to India after 17 years
- Dates
- August 17-23
- Venue
- Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi; practice courts at KD Jadhav Stadium
- Monkey deterrent
- Hired artists mimic langur calls to repel rhesus macaques; use of real langurs banned since 2012
- Number of mimic artists
- Four men per The Indian Express; three per the other report - figures conflict
- Trigger incident
- Monkey spotted in spectator stands at the India Open in January
- Other venue upgrades
- Lighting at 2,200-2,400 lux, fixed roof leakages, bird-repelling sound machine and non-toxic gel, auto-closing double doors, eco-friendly cold fire fireworks
- Cleanliness assurance
- BAI secretary Sanjay Mishra says conditions are 'far better' than at the India Open, responding to Mia Blichfeldt's concerns
Quotes
Ambar Pratap Singh
Regional executive director, Sports Authority of India (SAI)
“You can laugh at the solution, but you have to love the effort. So many people are working behind the scenes to make sure India is ready to welcome the world.”
rediff.com
“By making this sound (langur's grunts and snorts), a lot of monkeys run away. We chase them away like this so that no vehicles are parked on the road.”
rediff.com
Sources
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