International- New Delhi officials want to keep mischevious macaques at bay during the G20 summit next week.
- Officials are placing cardboard cutouts of larger langur monkeys around the city.
India does not want any monkeying around during the G20 summit in New Delhi next week.
So, officials are putting life-size cardboard cutouts of angry langur monkeys around the city and hiring men to make animal calls to scare off smaller rhesus macaque monkeys, which are notoriously mischievous.
The rhesus macaque monkeys are known for being a menace to society — they rampage through the city, jumping from rooftop to rooftop and even attacking pedestrians, CNN reported.
But the one thing the macaques do not mess with is the larger langur monkey.
"(The monkeys) don't want to come near the large cutouts of the langurs as they get scared," said Satish Upadhyay, vice-chairperson of the New Delhi Municipal Council, according to CNN. He added that they cannot be displaced or harmed, so threatening with cardboard cutouts is the humane alternative.
"We started placing these cutouts in the city over the last one week and are already seeing a positive impact. Monkeys have stopped going to the areas where these are present," Upadhyay said, according to The Guardian.
In addition to the cutouts, local authorities have hired 30 to 40 men to make langur sounds, which also keep the macaques at bay, CNN reported.
The annual G20 summit is a group of 20 world leaders that meet to discuss pressing global policy on topics like trade, health, and climate. US President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are among those expected to attend, according to the Daily Globe and Mail.