Mumbai: Bandra club member survives monkey attack

Renowned writer Sarayu Ahuja was bitten on her left arm by a langur at the upscale Otters Club in Bandra West on Wednesday morning when she was having coffee with friends ldquoYesterday as per my routine I was having coffee with some friends at the club This monkey came and joined us at the table Sighting the monkey was not a surprise it has been spotted at the club quite often It hops onto tables sometimes members give it something to eat So I was not startled to see itrdquo Ahuja saidThe outside of Otters Club in Bandra West on Wednesday PicNimesh DaveThe writer added ldquoSome of my companions got up and left though I did not as I had been taught never to move or get up abruptly when near an animal so as not to startle it I reached for my coffee and suddenly this monkey grabbed my hand I was wearing a windcheater which acted as a sheath I felt his claws but not the teeth The monkey then bent down tasted the coffee and spat it outrdquoA monkey cools off in the Khar Gymkhana swimming pool a month and a half ago left the simian on the diving board at the clubAhuja said ldquoI had not quite processed what had happened I was more worried about my mobile phone which was on the table and it seemed to have disappeared The monkey jumped off and hopped into some trees thereafter Dr Sandeep Chopra a club member and friend told me to first wash my arm which was bleeding Then he gave me a tetanus and an antirabies shot I need to have five antirabies shots in all spaced out over a few daysrdquo The Bandra resident said with a laugh ldquoIncidentally I located my mobile phone maybe I should have shared my coffee with the rude intruderrdquoCage sceneThe Otters Club moved quickly contacting Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare RAWW Ashok Motwani chief executive officer CEO of the club said ldquoI informed them and they answered that the forest department has been informed and will take the necessary actionrdquoOtters Club in Bandra West PicNimesh DavePawan Sharma founder and president RAWW and honorary wildlife warden with the forest department said on Wednesday evening ldquoWe are leaving for the club to evaluate the situation and see how we can best handle it We must remember this is an intelligent animal it may not be lured into a cage we install in order to rescue it We will also have certain dos and donrsquots for members after talking to the club managementrdquoTable mannersShocked Otters Club members claimed this was a familiar monkey and a friendly one A member recalled seeing the monkey at a breakfast table where he was sitting days ago ldquoHe eats the choicest food even drinks something and disappears He has a black face and a very long tail I think blackfaced monkeys are friendly while redfaced ones are more aggressiverdquo he said The Khar Gymkhana too had witnessed a monkey on the club premises around a month and a half agoPawan Sharma founder and president RAWWGaurav Kapadia Khar Gymkhana president said ldquoWe had a monkey visiting the club often at the time There was a video doing the rounds on WhatsApp of the monkey swimming in the club pool I think we called the BMC and were informed that we had to call the forest department However the monkey disappeared in a day or two post thatrdquoOne can hear people speaking in the video in the background stating ldquoSee this monkey I believe there are a lot of monkeys in Goregaonrdquo Another person says ldquoI spotted one outside my buildingrdquo A woman had the last word stating ldquoAt least these monkeys can access clubs where memberships are simply unaffordable for most These clubs are out of our league but the monkeys they have a free membership to these swish clubsrdquoMonkey business in MumbaiThree species of primates are found in Mumbaimdashthe rhesus macaque bonnet macaque and langur There has been an increase in the number of negative interactions between humans and primatesRange Forest Officer Rakesh Bhoir from the Mumbai Range Thane Forest Department Territorial said ldquoOn an average my office receives two to three calls complaining about monkeys entering buildings and housing societies daily One reason for the negative interactions between humans and primates is people feeding them A woman was injured in an encounter with a langur on Wednesday We have created awareness in the area and our teams are taking efforts to rescue the langurrdquoSources from the forest department told this newspaper that in the past 10 days there have been three instances of humanprimate conflict in Mumbai On Monday an 11yearold boy was injured by a monkey at Mahalaxmi but thankfully he sustained minor injuries On November 21 a monkey had charged at a railway employee at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus yardHonorary Wildlife Warden of Thane and President of NGO RAWW Pawan Sharma said ldquoAll three incidents are quite unfortunate the forest department has evaluated the situation and is initiating necessary actions as per the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 The officials have visited the spots where the negative interactions occurred and all three victims have already taken preventive treatment To prevent any further conflicts the department has decided to rescue the animals and rehabilitate them Similarly the authorities concerned from each area have been given an advisory to follow until the rescue operation is completedrdquoSharma said the incidents at CSMT Mahalaxmi and Otters Club involved a rhesus macaque bonnet macaque and langur respectively ldquoAll the animals had been ranging freely near the locations for many days without any negative interactions with humans We are trying to find out what caused such unusual behaviourrdquo he addedManaging monkey menace mindfully1 How to prevent monkeys from entering your surroundingsAccording to experts this is not an easy task as monkeys are a part of urban biodiversity and the food chain However keeping premises clean managing edible garbage and not feeding or entertaining them at all helps stave them off Bamboo scaffolding should be removed as soon as repair work is done so that monkeys donrsquot get easy access to homes as they are creatures of habit Apart from scaffolding they use gas pipelines to gain access to kitchens and drain pipes to enter other spaces2 What to do if a monkey invades your spaceMake sure you secure yourself children and elders Allow it to go away on its own by giving way Keep calm Do not scare entertain or provoke3 What is immediate medical care if a monkey bitesattacks youOne must immediately clean the area with antiseptic lotion and rush to the nearest doctor Precautionary tetanus and antirabies vaccines are necessary if one is scratched or bittenSparse history of violenceIn the past two years there have rarely been any serious attacks on people Most monkeys are freeranging solitary animals They usually try to snatch food from people or attempt to scare them to show territorial dominanceWhat happens if a rogue monkey is trappedAny primate trapped amid a conflict situation is first medically and psychologically examined for behaviour triggers Most of the time it is the element of surprise or confrontation that causes them to attack Animals showing unusual behaviour are sent to rescue centres for lifetime care and those which have the scope are rehabilitatedWith inputs from Ranjeet Jadhav