There were lots of monkeys on the island. Lots. I saw them scampering around, frolicking with each other through the vegetation. They are in no way afraid of humans. People have been coming to the island for a long time, I think. Also, the huge influx of tourists doesn’t help- too many people feed the monkeys. You can even buy bananas to feed them. I didn’t because I don’t think it is a good idea to feed them, but they were awfully cute eating the bananas that other people bought them.
The problem with feeding the monkeys is that then they associate tourists with food. As I was walking around the side of the hill to look at some smaller caves, I came up against a monkey who was charging people, terrorizing them off the path. The group of women in front of me was yelling and running away from it, trying to shoo it out of the way. I had been keeping back, wondering what to do, when a friendly couple came up. The guy started explaining to me that you just need to know how to deal with the monkeys, that they are basically harmless and that maybe if you give them a little food they will back off. He had dealt with them many, many times before in a variety of situations. There are 264 species of monkey. This particular monkey is of the family Cercopithecidae, probably genus macaca, species radiata. They don’t want to hurt you, they are just hungry. Some monkeys are treated very reverentially in India, because they are seen as incarnations of the god Hanuman. Then he offered to get out a little food and give it to the terrorist monkey to get the it off the path for everyone, so that we could all pass safely by an not get bitten by the monkey with all the scary diseases in it’s mouth.
At least, that is what I assume he said. I couldn’t actually understand a word he was saying, because he spoke no English. However, even after I made it clear that I couldn’t understand him, by smiling and shaking my head and saying “I only speak English,” he continued talking to me energetically, and at great length. So I am guessing that he was saying all the nice things about monkeys, not enthusiastically telling me about his favorite way of cooking potatoes or something.
He got out a bag of snacks. The monkey, understanding only as much of his speech as I had, but cobbling together an equal grasp of the intent, jumped him. The guy had just reached into his bag when the monkey leapt up to his arm and started ripping at the guy’s bag. Guy’s wife abandons him at this point. After a quick tussle, the monkey gets the snack bag into its hands and shreds it all over the path, and started shoving the cheesy puff things into its mouth, growling at the other monkeys to stay away. I think the guy was nice, not bright. I think the monkey was bright, not nice.
On my way back a whole family of monkeys was hanging out in the middle of another part of the path. I gave them a wide berth, doing my best impression of a person who has no food. They eyed me a little, but ended up just rolling around scratching their bellies.
The problem with feeding the monkeys is that then they associate tourists with food. As I was walking around the side of the hill to look at some smaller caves, I came up against a monkey who was charging people, terrorizing them off the path. The group of women in front of me was yelling and running away from it, trying to shoo it out of the way. I had been keeping back, wondering what to do, when a friendly couple came up. The guy started explaining to me that you just need to know how to deal with the monkeys, that they are basically harmless and that maybe if you give them a little food they will back off. He had dealt with them many, many times before in a variety of situations. There are 264 species of monkey. This particular monkey is of the family Cercopithecidae, probably genus macaca, species radiata. They don’t want to hurt you, they are just hungry. Some monkeys are treated very reverentially in India, because they are seen as incarnations of the god Hanuman. Then he offered to get out a little food and give it to the terrorist monkey to get the it off the path for everyone, so that we could all pass safely by an not get bitten by the monkey with all the scary diseases in it’s mouth.
At least, that is what I assume he said. I couldn’t actually understand a word he was saying, because he spoke no English. However, even after I made it clear that I couldn’t understand him, by smiling and shaking my head and saying “I only speak English,” he continued talking to me energetically, and at great length. So I am guessing that he was saying all the nice things about monkeys, not enthusiastically telling me about his favorite way of cooking potatoes or something.
He got out a bag of snacks. The monkey, understanding only as much of his speech as I had, but cobbling together an equal grasp of the intent, jumped him. The guy had just reached into his bag when the monkey leapt up to his arm and started ripping at the guy’s bag. Guy’s wife abandons him at this point. After a quick tussle, the monkey gets the snack bag into its hands and shreds it all over the path, and started shoving the cheesy puff things into its mouth, growling at the other monkeys to stay away. I think the guy was nice, not bright. I think the monkey was bright, not nice.
On my way back a whole family of monkeys was hanging out in the middle of another part of the path. I gave them a wide berth, doing my best impression of a person who has no food. They eyed me a little, but ended up just rolling around scratching their bellies.
1 comment:
Does the monkey guy write Bubba's speeches? Cassie
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