No monkey business: India 'whisperers' guard world championships
As top badminton players descend on New Delhi for the world championships, an unusual band of men have their eyes fixed not on the stars, but on monkeys lurking around.Determined to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment, organisers have turned to a popular fix for the problem -- "monkey wallahs" or men who imitate the calls of langurs, the natural enemy of the smaller primates.
As top badminton players converge on New Delhi for the world championships, an unexpected group has been brought in to guard the event: monkey whisperers. Nazar Khan, a 65-year-old expert, leads a team of four men tasked with preventing rhesus macaques from interrupting the tournament at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The venue's history of monkey-related disturbances, including a breach during the India Open in January, has led organizers to seek assistance.
Khan explains that their methods, passed down through generations, involve mimicking the calls of langurs, monkeys' natural enemies, to deter the smaller primates. Despite a court ruling banning the use of trained langurs, Khan and his team continue to rely on their expertise and creative use of animal noises. The team also handles stray dogs and ensures no harm comes to the animals they manage.
While some find the solution amusing, badminton star P.V. Sindhu defends the approach, drawing parallels to Wimbledon's use of a hawk to deter pigeons. Tournament officials are confident that the diverse measures, including the deployment of monkey whisperers, will prevent any disruptions during the world championship.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
