Drunken monkey kung fu scares village

Simiantics

The monkey was first noticed in the village a month ago. It has taken a liking to alcohol, perhaps due to some mischievous alcohol addicts in the villages intiating it into drinking. It is now addicted to the brew and often gets high. It has also become indiscriminate in its eating habits and has put on weight and become aggressive.

Once inebriated, the monkey begins harassing passersby  and even attacking them. The aggressive monkey scares even a large crowd. So far It has attacked at least 30 persons, and injured many of them.

Even dogs are among its victims. The monkey which has made the bus terminal its home, snatches travellers bags and their belongings. Anyone resisting it are attacked.

But pious, if cowardly they are, the residents see it as an incarnation of Hanuman, the monkey god, and worship it, but their piety is wearing thin, and they want someone to get rid of the rowdy simian.

People have made repeated pleas to the gram panchayat to take steps to check the  menace, but to no avail.

The forest department staff shrug off their responsibility, stating that catching monkeys is not their business.

Many residents are now trying to find professional monkey catchers, who, for a fee trap monkeys in cages, take them away in cages to release them in faraway forests.