Orissa: Puri temple drives out monkeys

Puri, Feb 9: The Jagannath temple administration has finallygeared up its action to drive out the monkeys which have become anuisance for the thousands of devotees, who throng the temple every day.

A 12-member monkey catcher team of Mankadias and Pahadias, theprimitive tribes from Mayurbhanj district, had arrived here on Februaryseven to capture the monkeys from the temple premises during the latenight hours.

Temple sources said in their first attempt the team trapped eightmonkeys and shifted them to other places with the help of forestofficials.

Perturbed over the monkey menace, the temple administration had,last year, requested the Mayurbhanj District Collector to extend helpin driving out the apes from the temple premises.

Over a thousand monkeys had made the 12th century edifice as theirshelter home for years together inviting wrath from the visitingdevotees, the sources said.

The operation to trap the monkeys would continue during the latenight hours as it would be difficult in the presence of devotees insidethe temple, sources added.

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