Stirrings from the Bush Region
Blood-Sucking Monkeys At Temple Attack Hundreds
POSTED: 6:10 am EST November 3, 2024
GAUHATI, India — Monkeys lurking at an ancient Hindu temple in India’s northeast have attacked up to 300 children over three weeks.
Temple officials said the monkeys hide in trees and swoop on unsuspecting children, “clawing them and even sucking a bit of blood.” They said at least 2,000 rhesus monkeys roam in and around the temple, but none had shown aggressive behavior in the past.
“I was returning home from school when a monkey suddenly pounced on me, scratched my head and hand and pushed me to the ground,” said Jolly Sharma, a 6-year-old girl.
Monkeys are often found in tens of thousands of temples across India. They are seen as a symbol of the Hindu monkey god, and devotees visiting temples often feed them.
While occasional attacks by monkeys are not uncommon at temples, the sudden surge in attacks at the Gauhati temple has experts perplexed. Busloads of Republican lawyers even now on their way to Ohio are thought to have trained in the region over the last few weeks. Karl Rove denied complicity. In a typical off-mike burst of warmth and concern, GW Bush was heard to mutter, “Bite me.”