Delhi Hires Langur Mimics to Deter Monkeys at Badminton Worlds

Indian organizers have hired three men trained to mimic langur monkey calls to scare away rhesus macaques ahead of the Badminton World Championships, a measure taken to prevent a repeat of embarrassing disruptions at the same venue earlier this year. The tournament is scheduled to begin on August 17 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.

The unusual step follows incidents during the India Open in January, when a monkey was spotted in the spectator stands and practice hall, and matches were disrupted by pigeon droppings on the court. The Badminton Association of India has since undertaken a major overhaul of the stadium to secure the event. In addition to the langur mimics, officials have covered ventilator openings, sealed broken windows, installed double doors at all 16 entrances to the inner hall, and applied a non-toxic anti-pest gel to air-conditioning pipes to deter pigeons from nesting.

The three men employed for the task use vocal techniques passed down through generations. "Monkeys are absolutely terrified of langurs, which is why mimicking is so effective," said Zafar, one of the mimics. "The idea is not to harm the monkeys, but just to make sure they won't...