Surprise visits from monkeys have been occurring at a hospital in India as these animals have figured out how to use the facility’s automatic doors.
Recently, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi implemented a new entry system, which led to unexpected outcomes.
Shortly after, local rhesus macaque monkeys discovered how to operate the motion-sensor doors, resulting in them wreaking havoc throughout the wards, kitchens, and hallways.
Patients in the neurosurgery department and recovery areas have faced disturbances, with monkeys stealing food, playing with medical equipment, attacking staff, and generally creating a state of disarray.
A doctor, who wishes to remain anonymous, recounted an experience with the mischievous red-bottomed monkeys to the Times of India.
“I was present in the patient recovery room when a nurse alerted us that a monkey had slipped inside,” he shared.
“The monkey had mysteriously made its way into the main corridor and was concealing itself in the false ceiling. As soon as the security guard stepped away, it leaped down. The motion-sensor doors open with any detected movement, which is how the primate gained access.”
With an average of one monkey bite occurring weekly, hospital officials have initiated measures to deter the macaques.
They have brought in two larger monkeys, known as grey langurs, to help chase them off.
Options such as killing or trapping the macaques are not viable due to their connection with the Hindu deity Hanuman.
