Gurgaon: A 59-year-old man was attacked by monkeys at his DLF Phase-1 home on Tuesday evening. G S Johar had gone to the terrace of his home to check the water level in the overhead tank when he saw a troop of more than 10 monkeys gathered there.
Saif Ali Khan Health Update
Johar decided not to react since monkeys are a common sight in the area. But when he tried to walk down to his home, one of the monkeys attacked him from behind. He said he was bitten by the animal multiple times. He then started walking again towards his home. Suddenly, monkeys blocked his way, but Johar scared the animals away with a stick.
"One should not make sudden gestures around animals, especially monkeys. However, these monkeys behaved strangely. They attacked me even when I started walking without bothering them. I rushed to hospital immediately after the incident," Johar said.
In Gurgaon, monkey menace is a cause of worry for residents, who allege their repeated pleas to the civic authorities fell on deaf ears. "Monkeys flock to our locality in large numbers, and there have been many cases where they try to harm us," Gaurav Singla, a resident of DLF Phase 1, said.
Environmentalists said the rapid urbanisation has taken away natural habitat of monkeys. "We have to learn to co-exist with them. However, there have to be some measures by the government to ensure their growing numbers are controlled," environmentalist Amina Sherwani told TOI.
"Monkeys enter the city from nearby areas, and whenever there have been any complaints, we react promptly," said Bijendra Sharma, senior sanitary inspector, MCG.