Monkeys enter state-run hospital ward in Karnataka, patients and staff panic

Gadag district officials told an online portal which reported about the incident first that a bunch of monkeys entered the children’s ward at the state-run maternity hospital at Gadag’s KC Rani Road and triggered panic among patients and staff.

In a bizarre incident on Sunday monkeys were seen strolling in a government-run hospital in Karnataka’s Gadag district. In videos circulated on social media, a group of monkeys were seen hopping from bed to bed and scaring patients and attendants in the healthcare centre.

Monkeys have been in the news frequently for creating ruckus in public places (HT File Photo)

Gadag district officials told an online portal which reported about the incident first that a bunch of monkeys entered the children’s ward at the state-run maternity hospital at Gadag’s KC Rani Road and triggered panic among patients and staff. Residents of the area said despite repeated complaints to the forest department, the primates creating ruckus in the area have not been rehabilitated.

The four-legged animals have been in the news frequently for creating ruckus in public places. The Mathura municipal board in Uttar Pradesh has started a 15-day programme to nab monkeys from Bankey Bihari temple area in Vrindavan, Chaubiapara and Dwarkadhish temple for creating menace for devotees. “Over half a dozen people lost their lives either due to attack or fear of monkeys in Vrindavan within (past) two years,” the head of an ashram in Mathura told PTI. The monkeys were captured and released in the wild after the forest department gave its nod.

Earlier in June of this year, a monkey was spotted riding in a Delhi Metro coach from Yamuna Bank to Indraprastha station in the heart of the capital. The animal had boarded the train from Akshardham metro station and sauntered off before Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officials could get a hold of it. Following the incident, the DMRC came up with a standard operating procedure for tackling such episodes, and advised passengers to not feed or encourage the animals under any circumstances.