Mumbai: Three monkey attack incidents reported in the city over past 10 days

On Monday, an 11-year-old boy was injured by a monkey at Mahalaxmi but, thankfully, he sustained minor injuries; On November 21, a monkey had charged at a railway employee at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus yard

Renowned writer Sarayu Ahuja was bitten on her left arm by a langur at the upscale Otters Club in Bandra West on Wednesday morning when she was having coffee with friends. 

Sarayu Ahuja said that she was having coffee with some friends at the club, when the monkey came and sat on the table. "Sighting the monkey was not a surprise; it has been spotted at the club quite often," she added.

The Otters Club moved quickly contacting Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW). 

Shocked Otters Club members claimed this was a familiar monkey and a friendly one. A member recalled seeing the monkey at a breakfast table, where he was sitting days ago. The Khar Gymkhana, too, had witnessed a monkey on the club premises around a month and a half ago.

Monkey business in Mumbai

Three species of primates are found in Mumbai—the rhesus macaque, bonnet macaque and langur. There has been an increase in the number of negative interactions between humans and primates.

Range Forest Officer Rakesh Bhoir from the Mumbai Range, Thane Forest Department (Territorial), said, “On an average, my office receives two to three calls complaining about monkeys entering buildings and housing societies daily. One reason for the negative interactions between humans and primates is people feeding them. A woman was injured in an encounter with a langur on Wednesday. We have created awareness in the area and our teams are taking efforts to rescue the langur.”

Sources from the forest department told this newspaper that in the past 10 days, there have been three instances of human-primate conflict in Mumbai. On Monday, an 11-year-old boy was injured by a monkey at Mahalaxmi but, thankfully, he sustained minor injuries. On November 21, a monkey had charged at a railway employee at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus yard.

Honorary Wildlife Warden of Thane and President of NGO RAWW, Pawan Sharma said, “All three incidents are quite unfortunate, the forest department has evaluated the situation and is initiating necessary actions as per the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The officials have visited the spots where the negative interactions occurred, and all three victims have already taken preventive treatment. To prevent any further conflicts, the department has decided to rescue the animals and rehabilitate them. Similarly, the authorities concerned from each area have been given an advisory to follow until the rescue operation is completed.”

Sharma said the incidents at CSMT, Mahalaxmi and Otters Club involved a rhesus macaque, bonnet macaque and langur respectively. “All the animals had been ranging freely near the locations for many days without any negative interactions with humans. We are trying to find out what caused such unusual behaviour,” he added.

(With inputs from Ranjeet Jadhav)

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