Monkey business at Infy

Monkeys are running around, pulling out cables, and wreaking havoc at Infosys. And no, we are not talking about bungling employees

Monkey business at Infy

Monkeys are running around, pulling out cables, and wreaking havoc at Infosys. And no, we are not talking about bungling employees.

About 30 monkeys haunt a cafe near Gate 6, and often scare women customers away.

The Infosys pest control team has approached the wildlife volunteers of Brihath Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for help.

The volunteers recently visited the Infosys campus at Electronics City and are drawing up a strategy to deal with the mischievous monkeys.

"The campus has a troop of monkeys," said an Infosys employee on condition of anonymity. "They are found roaming around the campus, undeterred even by the presence of employees hanging out at places like the cafe and the canteens."

The problem is about four years old, but it has turned very serious in the past couple of weeks, P R Mahesh, a volunteer, told MiD DAY.

"We can't chase the monkeys away overnight," he said. The volunteers conducted their first survey in September.

Cats join in

The monkeys aren't alone in harassing Infosys employees. They have conspirators in cats.

Some 30 cats have fallen into the habit of drinking milk, scattering utensils, and messing up the canteen kitchen. They also bring in things that smell foul.

Two canteens and the cafe are the cause of the mess, say experts.

"Animals like monkeys and cats are drawn to any place where an eatery exists," said R Sharath Babu, advisor, BBMP forest cell. "That can be controlled by shifting their habitat in due course. Our volunteers have inspected the place and will act once the company comes back to us."

'There's No problem'
INFOSYS does not think monkeys or other animals are creating a nuisance on its premises.

"There is no problem on the campus from monkeys," said Sarah Vanita Gideon, Infosys spokesperson. "We consult forest authorities whenever and wherever such problems arise. And they take appropriate measures."