Organisers of the upcoming Badminton World Championships in New Delhi are employing professional mimics to imitate langur calls and deter rhesus macaques from disrupting the tournament at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, according to local reports. The event runs from August 17 to 23, marking the return of the BWF World Championships to India after 17 years.
New Delhi Organisers Deploy Monkey Whisperers
To prevent wild rhesus macaques from invading the venue, the Badminton Association of India and the Sports Authority of India have hired three trained monkey whisperers. According to coverage from Rediff, these professionals mimic the aggressive grunts and snorts of langurs—a larger, dominant primate species that macaques naturally fear. Zafar, one of the hired monkey whisperers, explained that their generational job involves chasing the animals away from restricted roads and administrative zones, noting that he has previously performed similar duties around major government installations in Delhi, including the North Block, South Block, and Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Addressing Prior Security Disruptions
The unusual deterrent strategy comes in direct response to the India Open held in January, where monkeys breached the spectator stands and made international headlines. Following those security lapses, organisers undertook a thorough venue makeover of the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. While live langurs were historically used for municipal pest control in Delhi, the practice was banned in 2012, prompting authorities to rely on human mimicry instead. Similar acoustic deterrence tactics have been deployed by municipal bodies, including a municipal tender floated by the Delhi Assembly earlier in the year.
Player Reactions and Endorsements
Two-time Olympic medallist and former World Championship medallist P V Sindhu endorsed the unorthodox measure, noting that the solution highlights India’s unique hospitality and determination to host a successful global tournament. “You can laugh at the solution, but you have to love the effort,” Sindhu said, according to Rediff. Organisers anticipate that deploying the trained whisperers around the perimeter will successfully keep the macaques at bay while international athletes and officials arrive for competition next week.
