Macaque Attack in New Delhi

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070517.MONKEYS17/TPStory/?query=monkeys

Yesterday's Globe and Mail featured a story about a monkey invasion in New Delhi. I was immediately drawn to the story because of similar news items I've read involving elephants. Conflicts between elephants and humans have become so numerous in parts of Africa that these events are now referred to with the acronym HEC (human-elephant conflict) and are studied intensely by animal biologists and psychiatrists interested in post-traumatic stress disorder.

In the case of the monkeys - more specifically rhesus macaques - the nonhuman animals have been terrorizing (a much overused term, don't you think) humans and, in particular, important humans, that is, Members of Parliament. Basically, the city has been sprawling and nearby trees and forested areas where the monkeys lived have been destroyed or severely diminished. With nowhere to live and little food to scavenge for, monkeys have decided to encroach on the city. Many have been offered food by residents. What else is a homeless individual expected to do?

A priceless quote in the article, lays clearly the complete blindness to the cause of the situation and even to the meaning of words. Mr. Malaisamy is quoted as saying: "In the name of environmental protection, we cannot afford to remain silent spectators to this monkey menace in South Avenue, where several government offices and flats of MPs are located." He is talking about his own environmental protection...not the monkeys.

Nonhuman animals are losing their homes and being left without food. With the way most human homeless individuals are treated by society, I guess it is no surprise that monkeys are being treated as a menace rather than as victims. By no means does this justify the situation, if anything it makes clear some of the ways in which we all need to think about our relation to others and to the ways in which we all live in 'the' environment.

Since I'm out of time, I'll refer interested folks to two articles about elephants. The New York Times one is absolutely astonishing and is bound to become a classic.

About elephant breakdown / crack-up:

NYTimes article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/magazine/08elephant.html?ex=1179633600&en=f4f09e6e96b4dc62&ei=5070

Science Buss article:
http://www.smm.org/buzz/buzz_tags/charles_siebert