Monkeys are a nuisance in Delhi too, but hiring langurs to chase them has almost stopped.
The local administration in Vrindavan is planning to deploy a 10-member langur brigade to protect President Pranab Mukherjee from the city's monkeys during his visit on Sunday. The President will be in the twin city of Vrindavan-Mathura to attend a function but he has expressed a desire to visit the Banke Bihari temple as well.
If the plan is carried out, the administration will fall foul of the Wildlife Act, since keeping langurs in captivity is banned under the Act. In Delhi, which also suffers from the monkey menace, men who mimic the call of langurs to frighten monkeys are often hired.
The holy town is known for its mischievous monkeys, which steal the sweets devotees carry to temples, cameras and even spectacles from unsuspecting tourists. To ensure the bespectacled President doesn't meet that fate, the administration had decided to fall back on langurs - the only creature around that can keep them away.
"Apart from the police force, some langurs have also been called for protection from monkeys, so they don't create any nuisance," admitted Ajay Pal Sharma, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mathura.
The langurs had to undergo mock drills on the routes that would be taken by the President. But mostly, they would be deployed on the rooftops to scare off the monkeys.
Their trainer, Manoj, said, "We heard the President is visiting, so we have been called to ensure there is no trouble."