On Sunday, schoolchildren of Dhupat Mahagaon in Aurad taluk noticed a group of monkeys sitting atop trees marooned in the waters of the Manjra on the outskirts of the village. They shared this news with the elders of the village. Seniors who went to inspect the river, confirmed the news and called Gautam Arali, district Swachh Bharat Abhiyan coordinator, who has served as a veterinarian in the past in Aurad taluk for advise on dealing with the situation.
“The villagers told me that the monkeys had been sitting in the trees without moving for at least three days,” Dr Arali said. He called the taluk Fire and Emergency Service Office. However, the personnel arrived on the scene but were unable to help rescue the monkeys.
“We counted 40 monkeys on the trees. We had no way to get to the trees, or make the monkeys climb down and move to safety. That is when we decided to feed them right there,” Dr. Arali said.
A team of youngsters went from door to door in the village asking people to donate rotis for Lord Hanuman who was stranded in the floodwater. A bag of rotis was collected in an hour. Abdul Saleem, a shopkeeper, donated some bananas. “We asked three good swimmers to swim to the trees with the bags on their backs, and tie them to the trees. They managed to do so,” said Anil Kumar, who was at the scene. He said that the monkeys were suspicious at first but climbed down slowly and found the food in the bags and ate it.
The village itself is not free from flooding. Half of the fields have been submerged and farmers are complaining of severe crop loss.
