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Jeff Miller Fleet Admiral
Joined: 22 Nov 2001 Posts: 23947 Location: Mental Ward for the Mentaly Unstable 6th floor, Saint John's 1615 Delaware Longview Washington 98632
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Thu Nov 04, 2004 12:34 am Monkeys at Hindu Temple Attack Children |
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Quote: | Monkeys at Hindu Temple Attack Children
By WASBIR HUSSAIN
GAUHATI, India (AP) - Monkeys lurking at an ancient Hindu temple in India's northeast have attacked up to 300 children over three weeks, temple officials said Tuesday.
``They hide in trees and swoop on unsuspecting children loitering about in the temple premises or walking by, clawing them and even sucking a bit of blood,'' Bani Kumar Sharma, a priest at the Kamakhya temple in Assam state, told The Associated Press. The temple, one of the most famous in India, is located in Gauhati, Assam's capital.
``I was returning home from school when a monkey suddenly pounced on me, scratched my head and hand and pushed me to the ground,'' said Jolly Sharma, a 6-year-old girl.
At least 2,000 rhesus monkeys roam in and around the temple, but none had shown aggressive behavior in the past, the priest said.
Monkeys are often found in tens of thousands of temples across India. They are seen as a symbol of Hanuman, the mythical monkey god, and devotees visiting temples often feed them. While occasional attacks by monkeys are not uncommon at temples, the sudden surge in attacks at the Gauhati temple has experts perplexed.
Some say the Gauhati monkeys may be turning violent because of shrinking living spaces, or because animals once kept as pets might not have been able to adjust to new lives around the temple.
``The loss of habitat due to increased human settlement in the hills around the temple and the release of monkeys kept confined at home ... could be among the reasons for some of the monkeys behaving in a weird manner,'' said Narayan Mahanta, a wildlife official in Gauhati.
Three monkeys were randomly tranquilized by wildlife officials over the weekend and have been taken to the Gauhati Zoo where they will be examined in search of clues to explain the changing behavior, Mahanta said.
11/03/04 10:47
� Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. |
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Five - seveN Rear Admiral
Joined: 13 Jun 2004 Posts: 3567 Location: Shadow Moon
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Thu Nov 04, 2004 10:20 am |
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Weird... what else can be said?
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Defiant Fleet Admiral
Joined: 04 Jul 2001 Posts: 15946 Location: Oregon City, OR
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Fri Nov 05, 2004 12:45 am |
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Monkeys kick ass.
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Founder Dominion Leader
Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 12755 Location: Gamma Quadrant
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Fri Nov 05, 2004 1:43 am |
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My girlfriend is from India. I actually asked her about the significance of monekys. I know that Elephants are held in high regard. She said they usually leave them(monkeys) alone. I guess they won't be able to if this keeps up.
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Jeff Miller Fleet Admiral
Joined: 22 Nov 2001 Posts: 23947 Location: Mental Ward for the Mentaly Unstable 6th floor, Saint John's 1615 Delaware Longview Washington 98632
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Fri Nov 05, 2004 8:53 pm |
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Defiant wrote: | Monkeys kick ass. |
Can't go wrong with that statement when do they not?
-------signature-------
~Tony Montana wrote: | You know what you need people like me people for you to snub your nose at and point at saying there is a bad man. Well guess what This bad man is leaving. Say goodnight to the BAD MAN! |
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Captain Dappet Forum Revolutionist
Joined: 06 Feb 2002 Posts: 16756 Location: On my supersonic rocket ship.
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Sat Nov 06, 2004 7:25 am |
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The end is near. Hanuman is angry, and sends his money servants to punish us.
Alright, maybe not. I think the explanation about the decreasing living space seems quite likely. It's only natural that animals get violent if their homes are taken away.
Even humans do that.
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Superman Fleet Admiral
Joined: 06 Dec 2003 Posts: 10220
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Sat Nov 06, 2004 8:02 am |
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I'm reminded of the Treehouse of Horror episode from The Simpsons twelfth season. Dolphins came onto land and started attacking humans. We fought, they won. We were banished to the sea.
Perhaps monkeys are rebelling. Perhaps we'll soon be banished to the jungles, folks.
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Captain Dappet Forum Revolutionist
Joined: 06 Feb 2002 Posts: 16756 Location: On my supersonic rocket ship.
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Sat Nov 06, 2004 9:45 am |
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Planet of the Apes!
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Superman Fleet Admiral
Joined: 06 Dec 2003 Posts: 10220
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Sat Nov 06, 2004 10:05 am |
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Captain Dappet wrote: | Planet of the Apes! |
Oh yes. And, I just thought, an ape did attempt to escape recently from a zoo here in Britain.
Maybe it's already started. Soon, we'll all be chained by our necks and doing menial tasks.
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Hitchhiker Rear Admiral
Joined: 11 Aug 2004 Posts: 3514 Location: Ontario, Canada
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Sat Nov 06, 2004 10:44 am |
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Starfleet Dentist wrote: | Soon, we'll all be chained by our necks and doing menial tasks. |
Don't we already do that? The "chain" is figurative, but many of us sit in a cubicle all day performing hopeless menial tasks with no hope of escape.
http://www.dilbert.com
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Curtis Fleet Admiral
Joined: 29 Sep 2001 Posts: 14903 Location: Wisconsin
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Sat Nov 06, 2004 11:17 am |
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Defiant wrote: | Monkeys kick ass. |
Yeah, and in this case...quite literally.
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Superman Fleet Admiral
Joined: 06 Dec 2003 Posts: 10220
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Sat Nov 06, 2004 2:14 pm |
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Quote: | Don't we already do that? The "chain" is figurative, but many of us sit in a cubicle all day performing hopeless menial tasks with no hope of escape. |
I think you are quite right. In fact, are we not all prisoners in some way? There may be no cells but we are all trapped somewhere, in a figurative sense.
As to literal chains, I wouldn't mind being chained up as long as it was Janeway or Seven of Nine doing it (preferably barefoot at the time).
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