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[Andrew Hund <axh69 AT po.cwru.edu>]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/445881.cms

 

Monkey kills sleeping baby

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2004 10:57:37 PM ]

NEW DELHI : A two-month-old girl was killed by a monkey in Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi on Monday. The police said the monkey attacked the child while it was sleeping in the courtyard and smashed its head against a wall, cracking its skull.

"The incident took place around 10 am when the baby was lying in a cot in the verandah of the house. The monkey attacked the baby while it was alone," said deputy commissioner of police (east) Nuzhat Hassan.

Attacks on children by monkeys are not new in Delhi . Though the MCD and NDMC are supposed to employ monkey-catchers to rid their respective areas of the menace, both agencies admit they have not been particularly successful. They say it would be better if NGOs took on the responsibility.

"The complaints which the MCD receives about monkeys creating trouble are sent to approved contractors who can catch the monkeys. Whatever fee they charge is paid by the corporation," said an MCD official.

The MCD had earlier expressed helplessness saying it was difficult to find people who could catch monkeys. The Delhi government had set up a temporary shelter at Asola sanctuary, but the simians managed to escape from a hole in the wire mesh.

A neighbour of the bereaved family said the little girl's mother and grandmother had been sitting in the courtyard with the child. Later they went in, leaving the baby sleeping under a blanket in the sun. After a while, when the child's grandmother returned, she saw the blanket move. She lifted it to find the monkey devouring the child’s head. When she tried to chase it away, the monkey threw the baby against the wall.

The monkey then attacked Gora Devi, the grandmother. When the neighbours ran in after hearing her screams, the monkey fled. Neighbours said children were being regularly attacked by monkeys, but the MCD had failed to act.

"On December 22, a six-year-old girl was bitten on the face by a monkey. On Tuesday last, a three year-old girl Esha Joshi was attacked by a monkey," said Sujit Rai.

In a headline-grabbing case, a student of Class III, St Xavier’s, was bitten on the face by a monkey last July. The Delhi government and MCD had blamed each other.