Scared residents let monkeys run riot Indian monkeys are running riot and no-one will complain because of myths surrounding the animals. The town of Noida in Uttar Pradesh is under siege from monkeys who raid fridges, uproot gardens and attack hospitals, pets and people. However, due to the myths associated with the animals, no one wants to make a complaint, according to a local forest ranger. One incident in a hospital saw monkeys chase a patient and attendants out of a room. A security guard had to be called in to scare the monkeys out by banging a large stick on the floor. In another incident, the monkeys pulled a heavy lid off a water tank and let it fall on a car below, severely damaging the vehicle. Some people are said to feed the monkeys just to help keep them at bay, reports the Times of India. "The importance of monkeys in the Indian mythology makes people virtually invite them and offer them food. The monkeys here have almost taken free meals for granted," said forest ranger Bhoodev Panwar. Panwar claims the monkeys even send out scouts to check out possible raids and once they locate one, they bring several other monkeys along. Copyright 2001 Ananova Ltd