In India, huge flocks of macaques roam large cities. South India Monkey species sacred in India

In the Indian capital, Delhi, there are new guards for the peace and life of citizens. These are tailed langur monkeys. No one but them can cope with macaques, which in recent times more and more often attack people.

Religion forbids Hindus from harming these animals. But in nature everything is in balance, and it turned out that dangerous macaques are very afraid of long-tailed langurs and do not dare to approach them.

Elite suburb of New Delhi. Every day from 8 to 17 a security guard named Sunil works here. It goes around the area, menacingly raising its two-meter tail and sometimes baring its fangs. His partner Anish tells how these inhabitants of the Indian jungle, the langurs, were called into service.

“The authorities were looking for trainers for the captured monkeys. I trained him, we worked together and for several years we have been patrolling this territory together - he drives the macaques out of here, I drive away onlookers from him,” says the trainer.

The sentinel langur appeared in the area after the most famous fight between man and ape in India. On a beautiful glass balcony, a respectable man of about fifty was reading a newspaper. Suddenly there was a noise, the owner was thrown from the second floor onto the asphalt, and he died on the way to the hospital. The dead were the newly elected vice-mayor of Delhi, the attackers were macaques.

This tragedy showed that macaques are dangerous neighbors even for the most senior Indian. Now in the center of Delhi alone, the population of primates is about 20,000 heads - this is more than in many Indian national parks... Their home, the jungle, is increasingly crowded out by big cities, so the red-faced monkeys, as they are called here, go to these largest cities for food, and the Indians cannot refuse them.

Monkeys in India are considered the earthly incarnation of the god Hanuman, therefore they are no less sacred than, for example, cows. They cannot be driven out, beaten, and even less killed, monkeys can only be appeased. For example, a banana. And how, then, to deal with their invasion? Indian veterinarians came up with the idea to force them to protect themselves. No kidding. We have to mix oral contraceptives into food for macaques, fortunately, human contraceptives are quite suitable.

But either because hormones are expensive, or because not all of them reach the addressees, the program was quickly curtailed. The fertility of primates did not decrease at all - in Delhi they began to raid the Indian parliament and even visit the presidential palace, gnawing wires and rushing at officials. The Supreme Court stood up for civil servants and ordered the mayor's office to find a new solution.

"There are 200-300 monkeys in my area. And they already know me by sight. They see and run away. But I cannot relax and shut up even for a minute - they will attack. Therefore, every evening my voice sits down," says Mahendr Harisankar.

And in tourist town Agra monkeys generally turned everything upside down.

"We have a cage here. For people. It was not there before, and tourists came here in the afternoon heat and enjoyed the view of the Taj Mahal. The monkeys also came to steal food. Such meetings are a risk for the tourist. They often end in bites," says restaurant owner Ankit Saraswat.

Indian doctors have found that monkeys can carry up to 40 infections. This rooftop restaurant, like many others in Agra, is deserted - few people like the view of the Taj Mahal from behind the bars. And the owner can only joke, they say, the macaques showed who is the boss here.

We continue, friends, acquaintance with the animal world of India. In this article I want to tell you about another sacred animal of India, revered no less than the Cow - about the MONKEY.

In India, monkeys are considered sacred animals... According to an old legend, Hanuman (monkey) stole delicious mango fruits from the garden of the mythical giant and presented them to people. The monkey was caught and sentenced to be burned alive, but she managed to extinguish the fire and stay alive. When extinguishing the fire, she burned her face and hands, which remained black. This legend pushed the Indians to the fact that they began to attribute the monkey to a number of sacred animals, and even living gods. Whole temples are being built for them, where they are worshiped and cared for. A locals and the peasants patiently endure all their leprosy, which these nimble animals create in gardens and plantations. It is forbidden to hunt monkeys, and the locals
they open their houses wide open in front of them, and their favorite fruits are grown in the gardens.

According to the ancient Indian epic "Ramayana", Hanuman - the son of a monkey and the god of wind, helped the god Rama to defeat enemies and return his wife Sita, kidnapped by the evil king of the island of Lanka Ravana. Hanuman easily flies across the strait separating India from Ceylon, finds Sita hidden there and returns it to Rama. For his devoted service, Rama showered gifts on Hanuman and rewarded him with eternal youth.

There is another legend that the monkeys helped the god Vishnu. The inhabitants of the country were oppressed by a terrible giant, and Vishnu entered into a fight with him. But, one was not able to cope with the enemy, then he called the monkey people for help, and defeated the Giant. This is also why monkeys are sacred animals in India.

Monkeys living in sacred temples... Many tourists love to feed the monkeys and take pictures with them. Animals are so accustomed to the fact that people feed them that they brazenly beg for food from people, and if they do not get what they want, they become aggressive and may even bite. The monkeys have become so bold that they climb into houses, spoil things and food, and sometimes even steal small animals. For a year they eat so much food that this amount would be enough to feed 10% of the country's population, about 50 million people !!!

These are thermophilic animals that live mainly in countries with hot climates. In India, there are more than 40 million of them. These are mainly macaques - rhesus.

They are thin-bodied monkeys, small in size, with a tail that is longer than its entire body. There is a tassel at the end of the tail. A monkey with yellow - white fur and a black tuft pulled down over the face in the form of a hood. Because of this black hood, Indians consider the monkey sacred. The mass of these animals ranges from 2.5 to 8 kg. The ears and face are hairless. They feed on ripe fruits, leaves, insects, and do not disdain planting on agricultural plantations - cereals, rice, peanuts, coffee beans and coconuts. The family group of macaques can contain from 3 to 80 individuals !!! The hierarchy of relationships is based on kinship by maternal line... The herd is ruled by females who remain in the herd until old age. And males, having reached puberty, are forced to leave the herd. Sexual maturity in monkeys occurs at 3-4 years, the pregnancy of females lasts about 180 days. As a rule, one, less often two cubs are born, which remain near the mother for up to 1.5 - 2 years.

All monkeys are easy to tame. They live not only in zoos, they are even kept at home. Getting used to people, monkeys often adopt the habits of people and simply amaze with their intelligence and ability to imitate. Tamed monkeys are often featured on television and in films. Tamed monkeys are capable of performing various tasks of people. In Thailand, for example, tame macaques have long been helping people in collecting coconuts, and even surpassing people in this skill, because sometimes a person cannot distinguish a ripe nut from an unripe one, and monkeys do it unmistakably.

They can also provide serious services to scientists - botanists in collecting herbariums in the tropics. Easily climbing the highest and thinnest branches of trees, monkeys, at the command of a person, break off and bring him the necessary leaves, branches and flowers. V botanical garden There is a monkey nursery in Singapore, in which several animals have acquired the profession of a plant hunter. They are able to find in the impenetrable jungle rare plants if you show them a branch or a leaf of this plant.

And yet, one should not forget that for all their intelligence and ability to imitate people, monkeys do not at all have the same consciousness as a person and are not able to think like a person. The mental activity of animals, their behavior, is based, first of all, on instincts, innate and conditioned reflexes.

The primitive thinking of animals with a high level of intelligence, close to human, including monkeys, is thinking in specific images, called pre-linguistic. For animals, signal stimuli that cause mental processes in the brain, there can only be direct stimuli - these are olfactory, visual, sound, gustatory and thermal influences.

That's how funny they are, monkeys. But, at the same time, they are smart, quick-witted and perceptive.

It is no coincidence that they are considered SACRED ANIMALS OF INDIA.

I invite you friends to watch a wonderful cartoon in HD quality based on the ancient Indian epic "Ramayana".

Many inhabitants of the post-Soviet space imagine a monkey as a sweet and docile creature. The reason for this is kind fairy tales and cartoons of the times of the USSR. Meanwhile, Rudyard Kipling was largely truthful when describing the evil Banderlog.

Thailand has long been particularly popular with Russian-speaking tourists. India has not lagged far behind in this indicator for some time now. But among the polite Indians and smiling Thais, other locals, much less friendly, are increasingly common. Active felling woodlands in these countries has led to the fact that all large quantity monkeys are moving to cities. Having found there for themselves a good food base and favorable conditions for life and leisure, the animals are fixed on new territory and begin to multiply randomly. At the same time, both Thais and Hindus traditionally give monkeys a certain sacred status, so there is no talk of shooting emigrants from the jungle. And measures such as sterilization give disappointing results.

Abusing permissiveness, the monkeys of India and Thailand diligently spoil public and private property, break television antennas, and gnaw through communication wires. Moreover, the researchers noticed that primates are capable of deliberate, deliberate hooliganism. In the process of creating nasty things, they act in secret, constantly look around and are ready to give a snatch. A separate sad topic of conversation is monkey kleptomania. Macaques, monkeys and other furry brethren steal not only food, but also things of human use, which are absolutely useless for animals. Hordes of monkeys make devastating forays beyond gardens villagers, but also on houses, and even on apartments. There are cases when in India hordes of monkeys literally captured entire villages. It should be noted that if the locals are at the very least capable of repelling the aggressors, then tourists in this war have a much more difficult time. In the first half of 2013, in the Thai province of Krabi, 600 people were affected by monkey attacks, of which 450 were foreign tourists.

The biggest nuisance that primates can cause is physical assault. Urban monkeys, of course, are not capable of fierce reprisals in the spirit of an angry male gorilla - they are not strong. But bites or scratches will require serious treatment from the victim: at least tetanus vaccinations. Therefore, tourists should adopt some simple techniques, which, by the way, work perfectly with our quite European dogs. From the main: do not provoke primates. If your child is accustomed to teasing monkeys in the zoo due to your oversight, then keep in mind that in India and Thailand animals are not fenced off with bars, they walk wherever they want and do what they want, disregarding laws, codes and other regulations local administration. Don't smile at cute monkeys! Copying in many ways the facial expressions of humans, primates do not recognize smiles, for them a smile is a demonstration of teeth, a grin. There is no need to be afraid of excessive monkey attention and run away - for the flock this can become a signal to attack. To drive away the tailed hooligan, sometimes it is enough to take a stick - the monkeys will realize that they will now be beaten and will go in search of another victim. If the monkey is persistently trying to take away from you a sandwich, which you have recklessly decided to have a snack right on the street, it would be a wise decision to just give the food. There are cases when a lonely monkey, trying to take away fruit or chocolate from a tourist, received a slap from him and immediately gathered a whole gang of companions with screams. Therefore, do not try to beat the beggars - it is not only unethical, but also dangerous. You should be especially careful if you are interested in a whole flock led by the leader.

Photo: stuartshepherd.co.uk

It happens that insolent monkeys simply surround the tourist and do not give him a pass. In this case, a valiant throw of a banana (or any food product) will help as far and to the side as possible. The flock will briskly rush after prey, and you will be able to retreat under the guise. Also, it will not be shameful to ask for help from any local passer-by - primates clearly separate tourists from aborigines. Some guests of India said that the extortion monkeys are especially afraid of the police and escape from the crime scene with just the sight of the official uniform. It is also wise to follow the warning signs about the dangers of feeding monkeys. Treat one cute animal - get dozens of people who want to get no less goodies. And despite the fact that primates are accustomed to generous gifts tourists, they will brazenly terrorize any guest of the country for food. Watch the children especially carefully and be always there: monkeys can mistake children for playmates, and during such "fun" scratches and even bites are not excluded.

Photo: isastudentblog.wordpress.com

It will take a lot of work from you to keep your things. Monkeys not only skillfully steal on the streets, they can easily enter housing, and they have enough ingenuity to get into, for example, a refrigerator. Keep in mind that even if you check into a high enough floor of the hotel, this will not be a hindrance for the monkey. And leaving the balcony of the fifth, for example, floor to admire the morning Delhi, do not be surprised to come across the demanding gaze of a macaque waiting for you. Thieves confidently open backpacks and bags, a zipper is no longer a hindrance for them, they deftly rip off any jewelry from their hands and neck. Get ready to meet monkey criminal gangs not only in the middle of a park or boulevard, but also in cafes, supermarkets and even government offices.

Exercise caution during the photo shoot: cute monkeys may willingly pose, but then steal the camera as a fee. When going on a city tour, remove all items of clothing that you can grab and tear off: belts, belts, phone cases, purses. Take care of hats; monkeys do not wear hats and caps, but they do not miss the opportunity to rip them right off their heads. If you wear glasses, be prepared for some macaque to take over. Women should not use bright and shiny hair clips - often monkeys grab them for unknown purposes. Hold any valuables tightly to you; if the furry villain fails to snatch the item away using the surprise factor, he will most likely flee. If you use a car when visiting India, leaving it in the parking lot, remove the wipers, the antenna and hide everything that the monkeys can tear off inside the cabin, they will definitely try.

Photo: framework.latimes.com

In many countries of the East Asian region, monkeys behave decorously and well-mannered. But when visiting cities, resorts and beaches in Thailand and India, be prepared to face monkey mayhem. And don't be fooled by looks: a cute and funny animal can cause a lot of trouble.

Photo: thecrowdedplanet.com

People who are not initiated into Hindu beliefs are usually extremely surprised to see how at ease monkeys feel at Indian bazaars. They climb everywhere, drag fruits and other food from the counters, and no one drives them away - on the contrary, it seems, they are expected here as dear guests. Such honors are received from the Indians living in India and Sri Lanka, the monkey hanuman langur (Semnopithecus entellus). Some of them ravage fields and gardens, while for others who live in the temples, the locals themselves bring food.

The Hindus have every reason to honor monkeys: according to their ideas, the monkey god Hanuman miraculously saved the wife of the god Rama - Sita from the encroachments of the demon Ramana. Rama is one of the supreme Indian gods, and Hanuman was honored to be his companion. Hanuman is also considered the patron saint of arts and healing.

This deity is worshiped by millions of Hindus, his images can be found in many Hindu dwellings. Temples are erected in honor of Hanuman - some pilgrims on the way to such a temple even try to imitate the behavior of monkeys, thereby showing the greatest respect for their idol. During religious festivities, bright, colorful processions of thousands of believers move through the streets, carrying images of the monkey god. The participants in the celebrations are seized with trembling excitement, and, as one of the witnesses of such a spectacle wrote, “no one refused to give alms to the numerous beggars sitting along the streets”.

According to the ideas of the Hindus, the one who settles in the resting place of the monkey Hanuman will soon be overtaken by death. There are special "clairvoyants" who are invited to find out whether the remains of a monkey are resting on the place chosen for building a house.

It goes without saying that among believing Hindus, the offense of a sacred monkey is considered grave sin, which is used by some irresponsible people, "inviting" monkeys to "annoy" the enemy or quarrelsome neighbor. To this end, they pour rice on the roof of his house. The monkey instantly realizes what is the matter, and climbs for a treat. And since the rice grains inevitably roll under the tiles that cover the roof, the monkey breaks it off in search of a treat, thus causing considerable damage to the unwanted. And try to touch her!

Langur monkeys ( Presbytis) are considered the fastest primates on earth, capable of running at speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour. They can also jump from one tree to another 15 meters away. When a monkey has a cub, the newly-born mother is immediately surrounded by many females, obviously delighted with the addition to the family. A cub is strikingly different in color from an adult monkey. In these monkeys, there were cases of killing cubs, when a stranger male came to the place of the head of the family. Some scientists explain such cruel behavior by the fact that females who have lost their offspring become ready to resume faster. sexual life, for they now have no need to feed the baby with milk. According to scientists, the male knows about this and destroys the offspring left over from the previous father.

Another interesting monkey from the genus of langurs is the common nosy, or kahau ( Nasalis larvatus), found in the swampy forests of the island of Borneo. Some biologists consider her to be the most extravagant of all types of monkeys. The male has an amazing nose, reaching 17 centimeters in length and hanging below the chin. Exact explanations for this miracle of nature have not yet been found, but it seems that the long nose serves as a resonator for the male's characteristic loud "callsigns", reminiscent of "kahau" (hence the second name of the nose). And the locals call this monkey "blanda" as they called the first Dutch colonists.

Monkeys can be found in some temples of Nepal, but here rhesus monkeys are held in high esteem ( Macaca mulatta). Whole crowds of these tailed creatures roam freely around other Hindu temples. They say that people settled the sacred monkeys in the temples two millennia ago - since then they have lived there, generation after generation. Currently, about 300 rhesus monkeys reside permanently in the famous Pashupati Temple in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Do I need to explain how free life they lead in this sacred place for Hindus. What they just do not feed: rice, and ground nuts, and pumpkin! When they go out for a walk, people vying with each other offer them sweets. The sacred monkeys are under reliable protection Nepalese laws.

Rhesus monkeys can also be seen in the Buddhist temple in Swayambu - apparently, in ancient times, these animals came here from the forest, and when people fed them, they decided to stay here forever.

India is a country located in the southern part of Asia, most of it is located on the Indian subcontinent. This state washes Indian Ocean, namely its Bengal and Arabian Gulfs.

Fauna of India

The territory of this country is home to many species of mammals, birds, insects and reptiles. Animal world India is very diverse. The most common here are such representatives of the fauna as camels, monkeys, elephants, cows, snakes.

Camel

These are the most common animals in India, they are mainly used for transporting goods, as well as for riding, in ancient times they even participated in battles.

There are two types of this animal - dromedar and Bactrian, that is, one-humped and two-humped. Camels are herbivores. They are able to feed on those desert plants that are not eaten by any other animals. This, for example, An adult animal weighs about 500-800 kilograms, and it lives for 30-50 years. Camels are very well adapted to survive in the desert. Due to the specific shape of red blood cells, a camel can drink an impressive amount of water at a time - 60-100 liters. Thus, the animal makes a supply of fluid, which can be enough for two weeks. When the camel long time does without water, his body receives it by burning fats, while the animal can lose most your weight. In India, the milk of this animal is often eaten. It has a number useful properties: it contains vitamins C and D, trace elements (calcium, magnesium, iron and others). Another positive property of this product is that it contains very little casein, which makes milk difficult to digest.

Indian elephant

Elephants are also very common animals in India. In addition to the animal that lives in this state and bears the corresponding name, there is also another type of elephant - African. The Indian differs from it in that it has smaller ears, and is smaller in size than the African. It is also interesting that both males and females have tusks, while Indian ones - only males. These animals are the largest land animals (they are only surpassed in size, but they live in the ocean). Elephants are used as a means of transportation in the jungle. In India, these animals are very fond of because of their docile nature. In addition, elephants often participate in religious celebrations.

Monkey

These are very common animals in India. Such species as macaques, langurs and others live here. Many even live in big cities.

King of beasts - Indian tiger

Now on the territory of this state there are only 3200 individuals of this species. Many of them live in mangrove forests. Previously, these animals often attacked people, so they were exterminated in a large number but hunting tigers is not easy.

What kind of snakes live in India?

On the territory of this state lives on Earth - King Cobra... However, people very rarely suffer from her bites, since she lives far in the forests, hunting small animals there. Much more dangerous for humans are and sandy efa... The first reaches 1.5-2 meters in length, has a rich yellow color and a dark pattern on the head, which is somewhat reminiscent of glasses, hence the name. The second belongs to the same family with vipers. Its length is small - about 70 centimeters. This is a snake Brown color with a zigzag pattern on the sides.

Peacock

Many people associate these birds with Indian culture. They are often found not only in the mythology of a given country, but also in Persian and Islamic traditions. Even in Christianity there is a mention of the peacock - it is a symbol of life. In Indian art, this bird is very often found - both in literature, and in music, and in painting. Peacocks are very common on the territory of this state; they live almost everywhere.

What animals are considered sacred in India?

First of all, these are cows. Since ancient times, these are the sacred animals of India. They were considered as such in Ancient egypt... In the mythology of this country, there is a belief that after death you can reach heaven by swimming across the river while holding onto the tail of a cow. This is also due to the fact that the milk of this animal is very often eaten. Therefore, the cow is considered a symbol of life.

Another sacred animal in India is elephants. They are considered a symbol of wisdom, kindness and prudence, they are often depicted in homes and temples. There are also sacred animals of India, which are representatives of certain gods. These are, for example, monkeys - they are considered the embodiment of the god Hanuman, an ally of Rama. In addition, in India they are rats. There is even a whole temple dedicated to them - thousands of these animals live there. There is a legend in India associated with them. According to her, Karni Mata was a Hindu saint, and when one of her children died, she began to pray to the god of death Yama to return her son to her, and he turned all her sons into rats. Also in India there is a cult of the snake. According to ancient legends, these animals are the patrons of the waters of the valley. If you turn to mythology, you can find out that snakes are the sons of Kadru. In myths, these animals are described in human images, they are endowed with such traits as wisdom, beauty and strength. In addition, in Indian mythology, there is a peacock - Krishna's headdress was decorated with its feathers. Temples dedicated to this god are painted with images of this bird.