Kipling wrote about them in the Civil and Military Gazette (May 1885): "The hillside is alive with their clamour, and presently they assemble in force on the lawn tennis court; despatching a deputation to warn me that the babies are tired and want fruit. It is impossible to explain to the deputation, that the sayings and doings of their descendants are much more important than theirs".
Don't get me wrong. I'm an animal-lover to the manner born. But I draw the line on our simian friends in Shimla. They're a menace. The walk to Jakhoo Hill used to be fun once upon a time, but now, the thought of being frisked by a monkey is a bit much! You cannot go food-shopping on the Mall without running the risk of having your bags snatched by a horde of monkeys. Walking to the Viceregal Lodge is an exercise in risking rabies, should, God forbid, a monkey scratch or bite you.
And I'm not the only one concerned. The 90-odd kilometre highway from Kalka to Shimla is dotted with hoardings put by the state government asking tourists not to feed the monkeys. If that is not all, even the Prime Minister has been briefed about this issue! The Chief minister has demanded that an amount of Rs. 1.5 crores be granted to his government to deal with the monkeys.
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