Buying tours to India, Russians, being on the streets of Indian cities, should be very careful. Tourists are rarely threatened locals and even criminals, the police do treat tourists more than kindly. In large Indian cities, there are even special police departments that deal with all the issues and problems of tourists.

The most terrible threat on the streets of Indian cities is macaques. It is scary to imagine, but in Delhi alone there are more than 10 thousand individuals, although of course, it is difficult to determine the exact number of street robbers, because they multiply quite quickly.

The monkey in India is a sacred animal, and therefore it is strictly forbidden to beat, let alone kill them, both for local residents and law enforcement officers. According to Indian beliefs, the macaque is the earthly representative of the deity Hanuman, who is quite revered among the Hindus. Moreover, Hindu traditions oblige to treat all sacred animals on Tuesday and Saturday. Which, of course, Indians regularly do. As a result, the monkeys on the streets of Indian cities feel more than at ease.

Despite all the tricks of the tailed robbers, it is useless to complain about them, since the police do not respond to their antics, and there are simply no other services that would deal specifically with monkeys in India. Fully aware of their impunity, the monkeys are doing real "mayhem" on the streets of Delhi.

Monkeys are primarily interested in food supplies. Therefore, when they see something of interest to the monkeys in the hands of the townspeople, they do not hesitate to attack even people. As a result, the monkeys literally snatch packages, bags and other things from the hands of local residents. Moreover, attacks are rarely limited to the theft of food, because they still need to be reached. And the teeth of Indian macaques are quite sharp. Therefore, torn bags or other things to shreds are not uncommon.

Monkeys pay no less attention to bright and shiny objects. Therefore, mirrors and photographic equipment should be used carefully so as not to attract the attention of four-legged primates.

Reports of incidents involving monkeys appear almost regularly. One of the clearest examples of the outrages perpetrated by monkeys was the ruin and disruption of the wedding ceremony. An Indian wedding is always accompanied by bright costumes, as well as a stormy feast. Such activity on one of the streets of Delhi attracted the attention of a whole flock of monkeys. As a result, food supplies were practically destroyed, clothes were torn, and the wedding fell through, and some guests needed health care, since the wounds caused by the teeth and claws of monkeys can be dangerous.

Interestingly, almost everyone suffers from the invasion of monkeys - state and public institutions, police officers, local residents, as well as tourists. Therefore, being on the streets of an Indian city, you should not once again attract the attention of four-legged animals. And when coming into contact with them, you should be quite careful, as their bites are very unpleasant and painful.

Indian macaque (lat. Macaca radiata) - small primate from the monkey family (Cercopithecidae). His head is decorated with luxurious hair, resembling a dark cap. It is also called the bonnet macaque or zati. The animal is not afraid of man and because of the contraction natural environment habitation willingly settles near villages and temples.

In many regions, it causes serious damage to farmers, destroying crops in fields and plantations. The monkey is easily tamed, has a relatively docile and curious character. It is often used for laboratory research, and in captivity it becomes strongly attached to its owner.

Spreading

The species is widely distributed in India. The largest populations live in the coastal regions of the states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Monkeys easily adapt to different landscapes, preferring woodlands. In the north of the country, they settle in mountain forests at altitudes of about 2100 m above sea level. The lowlands are inhabited by primary and secondary forests, bush and savannas. In many cities of India they live by begging and stealing provisions.

To date, 2 subspecies are known - M.c. radiata and M.c. diluta. The second subspecies is found on the southeast coast of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It differs from the nominative subspecies in having a lighter belly.

Behavior

Indian macaques lead an active diurnal lifestyle, forming groups of an average number of about 30 individuals. Unlike many other primates, they do not have a clear hierarchical division during fur shedding. Even dominant males look for insects in the fur of their young compatriots with great pleasure.

Resting monkeys try to experience close physical contact with members of their own sex. Older animals show obvious concern for the younger ones, trying in every possible way to cheer them up, console and caress them. Juveniles love to scream loudly and in game form simulate attacks on each other. Dominant males take an active part in such games, even allowing babies and teenagers to bite themselves.

The home lots are very large. The area of ​​holdings of one group can reach 50 hectares. Primates usually stay in their territory for a long time and leave it only after a significant reduction in the food supply. Plots different groups, as a rule, intersect, but the meeting of two clans does not lead to aggression. Monkeys also coexist peacefully with langurs (Presbytis) and (Macaca Silenus).

Fruits occupy 47-53% of the total diet. In addition to them, the daily menu includes seeds, leaves and flowers of various plants.

Food of animal origin consists of insects, small lizards and frogs. Macaques especially like the fruits of caranga (Pongamia pinnata), fig tree (Ficus carica) and large grasshoppers (Tettigoniodea).

Animals are busy searching for food during daylight hours. IN settlements feed willingly food waste local residents.

reproduction

Sexual maturity in females occurs at the age of 3-4 years, and in males at 4-6 years. In the northern regions of the range mating season passes in early spring, and in the rest all year round. The peak birth rate is observed from February to April. The fertility of females depends on the abundance of food and social status.

Pregnancy lasts from 155 to 165 days. The female brings only one baby. Fathers do not directly participate in the upbringing of their offspring and begin to show interest in them only after reaching adolescence. Cubs feed on mother's milk for 6-7 months.

Females give birth at intervals of 1-2 years and usually bring about 5 babies in total. Menopause occurs at age 27.

For the first six months, the cubs are inseparable from their mother, hanging on her back or paws. After the end of milk feeding, they learn to get their own food on their own, and in the second year they move on to an independent existence. Females stay with their closest relatives, while mature males join foreign clans.

Description

The length of the body and tail of adults is 40-50 cm. Weight 3000-6000 g. Females are smaller and lighter than males.

The color of the fur is brownish, yellowish brownish or olive brownish. The abdomen is lighter. The face is reddish or flesh-colored, devoid of hair. There is also no hair on the ears.

Cheek pouches allow you to store and carry food. Their volume is approximately equal to the volume of the stomach. On the head is a dark “cap” characteristic of this species. It is especially noticeable in mature males.

IN vivo The life expectancy of Indian macaques rarely exceeds 18-19 years. In captivity at good care it increases up to 30 years.

Order - Primates / Suborder - Dry-nosed / Infraorder - Monkey-like / Parvoorder - Narrow-nosed monkeys / Superfamily - Dogheads / Family - Monkeys / Genus - Macaques

History of study

Indian macaque, or bonnet macaque (lat. Macaca radiata) is one of the species of macaques.

The Indian macaque has been identified as separate view individuals of their marmoset family as early as the beginning of the 19th century - in 1812. However, until now, for more than two hundred years, there has been a dispute about their further classification, since many believe that there are two more subspecies of these animals. However, no one can yet accurately determine and confirm the presence of such diversity, since even if there are still species, they live in very close connection with each other.

Spreading

Habitats of the species - mountain rainforests India, sometimes go to the cities.

Appearance

Adult individuals of both male and female have approximately the same height - from 40 to 60 cm. However, their sexual division can be distinguished differently outward sign- proportions of the tail. With the same body length, the length of their tails ranges from 55 cm (in females) to 70 cm (in males). The mass of primates of this species has small values. So in females, the weight is about five kilograms, and in males 7–8 kg.

The structure of the head of bonnet macaques has its own characteristics. They have a completely flat profile, and their skin painted light brown. Also in its structure, cheek pouches can be found, which is explained by their type of nutrition. As a rule, they store small plants and nuts in these compartments.

The color of the coat has a light brown tint and it is almost uniform, as well as its strong density.

Lifestyle

The ideal habitat for these animals is the tropical forests of India, which are located in the highlands. The slopes are the most comfortable for these monkeys, which now and then descend to the ground. They are diurnal animals and sleep at night on the branches of trees.

Indian macaques live in large flocks. So, on one branchy tree located on a slope, a friendly family of up to 80 individuals can huddle.

The hierarchical system of relationships is based on maternal kinship. Young females remain in their native herd even after reaching puberty, while males at this age are forced to leave the herd.

Nutrition

Macaque feeds on ripe fruits, leaves, insects, as well as plantings on agricultural plantations - cereals, rice, peanuts, coconuts and coffee beans.

population

Thanks to such large communities, as well as the unpretentious nature of the habitat and animal protection measures in India, the Indian bonnet macaques are out of danger of extinction for the next period of time.

In India, many representatives of the fauna are surrounded by an aura of holiness, for example, cows, snakes, crocodiles living in ponds or reservoirs near temples. The differences in these cases are related to local traditions. Special attitude in India to monkeys. In this country, they have long been revered thanks to their ancient mythical leader Hanuman. It was he who at one time tied a torch to his tail to illuminate the battlefield and help King Rama defeat the evil demon Ravana.

IN northern India to the monkeys that fill the groves and capture entire villages, the attitude is twofold. The importunity of these animals, caused by their curiosity and thieving, sometimes reaches extreme, sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic tricks. Therefore, in everyday life, the divine halo of monkeys often goes out. They are often subjected to abuse and even beatings.

There are cases when voracious brown macaques, reaching the age of 18, raid apartments in the heart of New Delhi. It's worth nothing for them to climb upper floors multi-storey buildings and, taking advantage of the absence of the owners, destroy all stocks of food, including those stored in refrigerators. In Delhi, there are several million of these creatures, which are vengeful, capable of turning the life of the inhabitants of entire city blocks into a living hell at any moment. They say that macaques are feared even by officials of the Ministry of Defense, where they once visited and committed a complete pogrom in the meeting room.

In the city of Naggar, in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, a flock of monkeys periodically devastates the famous orchard around the museum-estate of the Roerich family, eating all the fruits, even unripe ones. The frightened inhabitants of this particular region decided that they had had enough and "took up knives", or rather scalpels, in order to sterilize the annoying male primates, having received the sanction of the Ministry of Health. The example of the Himachals was followed by the Delhi municipality, which ordered to catch these rapidly breeding mammals and take them to suburban reservations. True, this coercive measure has not yet led to the desired results. The monkey colony, accustomed to city comforts, is clearly not satisfied with the prospect of being in the jungle again.

Nothing is known about the exact number of monkeys living in Indian cities, but they can be seen almost everywhere, especially in areas where Vaishnavism dominates. Although macaques and their larger brethren are denied the protection afforded by sacred cows, the monkeys generally fare quite well, with many temples dedicated to them. In one of the temple complexes of New Delhi, at least a twenty-meter statue rises in honor of the Hindu hero Hanuman. And this means that this iconic place is visited by numerous pilgrims and monkeys will always find something to eat and entertain themselves, for example, posing for photographers or taking bananas from tourists.

India is an amazing source of forgotten culture and ancient traditions. All more people go to India to plunge into history, to understand how people lived in antiquity, and why so many animals are considered sacred in India.

India is the land of vegetarians, and, probably, the main, but not the only sacred animal of India is the cow (6 letters). However, there is no ban on the consumption of beef in the country and non-Hindus eat beef with pleasure and even serve it in restaurants.

If you are asked name the sacred animal of india, there is something to get confused here, since elephant, monkey and even a snake are considered sacred animals on a par with a cow in India.

The elephant is a sacred animal in India.

The elephant has become sacred for his diligence, he is like a personal crane, truck, tractor and personal vehicle in the family all rolled into one. And the elephant also protected the dwelling and was even used in wars as a ram weapon or a tank, if you like, it is well written about the role of elephants in wars in this article.

Why did the monkey become a sacred animal, it would seem difficult to understand, a wimp, which does not bring any benefit in the house, and meanwhile - the monkey is also a sacred animal for the Indians. To understand why the monkey is considered a sacred animal, you can plunge into the Indian epic and remember the wars of people and monkeys.

According to historical information, a people of intelligent monkeys lived on the territory of India in ancient times, not inferior to people in knowledge and culture, and even surpassing them in strength and intelligence. Search the Internet about the wars between humans and monkeys, these are not fiction, but historical facts about more ancient civilizations that inhabited the territory of India in ancient times.

The sacred animal of India is the snake.

This representative of the animal world does not cause sympathy in any person, only fear. And meanwhile the snake is also a sacred animal. In India there is a holiday of snakes, it is called, in my opinion, Nagapanchami - if I did not distort its sound, on this day it is customary to treat snakes with milk and rice, and bring flowers to snake holes.

Why is the snake considered a sacred animal in India? Apparently, this is also the history of the development of man in parallel with the intelligent branch of reptiles.

It is generally accepted that Hindi is spoken in India, encyclopedias write that Hindi is the most widely spoken language in the world. But, unfortunately, if you learn Hindi and travel to India, you will be very disappointed there - you will not be able to communicate in it, since Hindi is a generalized name for several thousand local dialects, and it is spoken only in the north of the country. You better teach English language, India has long been an English colony, and many residents still communicate in it.

India is not an easy country - bright in its decorations, wise, like its history with sacred animals, with traditions and knowledge that came from the depths of millennia.