Mumbai: Cuffe Parade-ians caged in as monkeys unleash terror

Dunston has checked in at Cuffe Parade once again The line is a spinoff from the comedy film Dunston Checks In starring an Orangutan called Dunston Only this time this is real life instead of reel and not many think of this as comical The monkey menace is haunting the South Mumbai tip with locals cooped up in their homes windows closed wondering how to deal with thisWindow wiseHousing society chat groups of some of the plushest towers in the vicinity are buzzing with photos of monkeys trying to open windows videos of the scary simians walking on terraces The problem is also creating divides within buildings with some residents accusing others of lsquofeedingrsquo these monkeys stalking the areaAnand Sheth honorary secretary of Cuffe Parade Residents Association CPRA said ldquoThe monkey problem has reared its head once again in Cuffe Parade We have had these intimidating animals here earlier too They seem to return at the same time every year We are flummoxedrdquoAlso read Mumbai Crime 24yearold man kills relative over minor scuffle heldThe timingHaresh Hathiramani a Cuffe Parade resident endorsed Shethrsquos statement about the monkeysrsquo arrival He said ldquoI have also noticed that they are spotted in the buildings at this time of the yearrdquo Hathiramani added ldquoThis is a larger problem than just one that is simply affecting Cuffe Parade We have now witnessed read about or heard about monkeys in residential societies across the city I think this has gone beyond a small or laughable thing now The authorities concerned also may not have the wherewithal to tackle thisrdquoA monkey trying to enter by opening a windowResidents added that the monkeys not only enter homes but are seen on building terraces at times defecating in these spaces leading to unhygienic conditions The monkeys have become fearless baring their teeth ready for confrontation even if people come into the space On Tuesday there were photographs of a monkey pacing around nonchalantly and perched on a plant pot eating something on the terrace of Casablanca buildingMangoes tomatoesJaya Asrani a resident claimed ldquoThis problem has become more acute since lockdown I think Many people have sliding windows Even though these are closed if one forgets to lock them from the inside then the monkeys can slide them open Recently three monkeys with one carrying a baby came into my home and ate a dozen mangoes while we kept ourselves locked in a room After they finished eating they left but the house was full of halfeaten mangoes and seedsrdquoThis happened in the 31storey Jupiter building Jaya Asrani who lives on the 16th floor and has taken pictures on her cell phone said ldquoWe are senior citizens and it is terrifying to see these animals inside homes Imagine one minute you are seated on your sofa watching TV and the next there is a monkey next to yourdquo The monkeys also ate 1 kg of tomatoes from a neighbourrsquos homeTrained thievesMany residents insisted that the monkeys seemed to be ldquotrainedrdquo to steal saying they also pick up watches mobile phones jewellery which may be lying around in the home While some say this is just by chance there are several who firmly believe this is ldquodeliberaterdquo and ldquothey have been taught to stealrdquoThe solutionSheth said ldquoWe are trying to get an effective monkey catcher as the one we called last year was not very effective Though it may seem implausible many residents insist monkeys are picking up lsquoflashyrsquo items anything left in the open inside homesrdquo Animal activist Vijay M however said ldquoThe problem persists because people are feeding these monkeys These monkeys are wild They are not trained to steal certain valuables When these animals realise that they get food from a home or at a spot they keep coming back The locals should not feed monkeys They also need to keep their windows closedrdquoThe flashbackIn 2015 this paper had an extensive report about a Worli society called Venus where monkeys had terrorised the residents Those living in the mammoth Worli seafacing towers had spoken about monkeys getting inside homes opening fridges and drinking juice pulling toasters and throwing them out of windows even taking on stray dogs and roaming in the passages of the society The report had been headlined SoBo Society becomes Planet of the Apes This was a play on the building name Venus a planet Now the building under attack is called Jupiter another planet and that headline can very well apply here too This may be black humour but for those facing the terror there is little to smile about