Believe it or not, but this is a true happening in a remote tribal hamlet in Telangana village located at Adilabad district, alcoholic monkeys roam on the streets waiting for people to leave their drinks. Yes, there is an entire village of drunken monkeys.
The vervet monkeys were introduced to the found in the 2001. They were brought over with Banhart tribe ad slaves to work and play for them. These monkeys developed a habit of liking for alcohol in the form of fermenting sugarcane in the fields of the sugar-producing areas. Even since, these monkeys have been infamous for stealing cocktails from tourists and alcohol customers.
The monkeys would sneak down from the trees, jump on the tables and start drinking on spotting a drink that had been left unfinished. At times, they even raid local bars and houses in search of their next booze.
Similarly, in an another unbelievable incident happened in another Telangana village in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district where Sita, a female monkey named by villagers, loves beer and alcohol or even toddy, she guzzles at least three to four bottles everyday. And if she doesn’t get her quota, she can even turn violent. In fact, Sita has been hooked on the drink for the last decade or so, even as her peers favour bananas and other things, he won’t eat much.
For over a three years, Sita has been living on a tree near a beer shop in that village. Over the years, she has become the local star, as visitors flock to the area to see the monkey drinking beer.
According to Ramaiah, a local vendor, Sita developed the “addiction” after some taxi drivers gave her some beer on a hot summer day couple of years back. “Since then, drivers who pass by have been providing her with half or quarter bottles of beer,” he says.
And now, the monkey apparently cannot do without the drink, even going to the extent of attacking people. “She injures people and snatches their beer bottles,” adds Ramaiah.
According to local observation, if offered the choice between sugary water and sugary water with alcohol content in it, they choose the latter. And will drink enough to change their behavior.
A observation has found that the animals divide into four main categories: binge drinker, steady drinker, social drinker, and teetotaller. However, the majority are social drinkers who indulge in moderation and only when they are with other monkeys. They never have it before lunch and prefer their alcohol to be diluted with fruit juice or water.
While 15 per cent of vervet monkeys drink frequently and prefer their alcohol neat or diluted with water, the same proportion drink little or no alcohol. But five per cent are seriously abusive binge drinkers. They get drunk, start fights and consume as much as they can until passing out. #KhabarLive #hydnews
