Taj Mahal police brandish catapults to scare monkeys away

NEW DELHI: Police at the Taj Mahal are being given catapults to scare monkeys away from the UN heritage site after a spate of attacks on tourists, officials said Friday.
“We have taken this initiative after many tourists were attacked and injured by monkeys,” Hemendra Singh, spokesperson for India’s paramilitary police force CISF, told AFP.
Rhesus macaques monkeys in the grounds of the white marble global tourist hotspot in the northern city of Agra are renowned for stealing food and other items from visitors.
But in recent months several monkeys have attacked and injured several people, including two French tourists last year while they were taking selfies.
Another tourist was hurt after she tried to retrieve her purse from a monkey. A Colombian tourist had her purse snatched and returned only after monkeys had torn up her cash.
Authorities said there were also instances of monkeys causing damage to the historic mausoleum, built in the 17th century by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his favourite wife.