The most curious facts about Indian animals. In India, huge flocks of macaques host in large cities Dangerous underwater predators

Ecology

Animal world for Hindus - an integral part of their religious beliefs, many quadrupeds are for them real deities who are revered and afraid to offend. Some animals are especially associated interesting and even funny stories which I would like to talk about.

Dogs of India

Canine Pregnancy Syndrome

Dog bites are a worldwide phenomenon, but in the west many stray dogs receive rabies vaccinations. In India, of course, no one does such vaccinations, so there are more than enough accidents from the bite of infected dogs.

India has more stray dogs than any other country tens of millions of them attack people. According to very rough estimates, about 20,000 people die every year from dog attacks in India.

AT countryside a rumor spread that if a dog bites a person, her embryo begins to grow in his body, in other words, with the help of a bite, dogs can impregnate a person (and not only women)!

Dog pregnancy syndrome has become a real hysteria among the population since low level education, of which there is plenty in India. Those bitten swear that they feel the movements of the fetus inside them and even start acting weird eg bark.

Instead of going to a doctor, these people mostly turn to sorcerers who offer them Mystery Fetal Resorption Medicines. Only after that the bitten person more or less calms down.

Monkeys of India

Sacred animals take advantage of their position

Like some other peoples, Hindus consider monkeys to be sacred animals. That is why they are very condescending to the fact that thousands of rhesus monkeys calmly roam the streets of cities, climb into houses, spoil property and steal.

These animals are incredibly dangerous because bite hard. Hordes of monkeys run amok in settlements. For example, the situation in cities such as New Delhi, generally catastrophic, so sometimes they try to set traps on the streets. However, these animals are so smart that they are easily bypassed.

In 2007, newspapers wrote about one tragic case. Some Savinder Singh Baiva fell from the balcony and crashed, trying to repel the attack of the hated monkeys. Although people are attacked daily by macaques, citizens do not stop feeding them. Looks like the problem is still there will remain relevant.

pig toilets

Pigs have a reputation enough dirty animals, however, they boast excellent mental abilities. Hungry pigs can eat almost anything, including garbage and human excrement.

In Goa there are so-called pig toilets- small stone buildings-toilets for people, which are connected to pig sheds. Through the holes, what gets into the toilet gets into the barn, and pigs gratefully accept "treats".

In the old days, these structures were used for hygiene, but with the advent of plumbing the need for them has largely disappeared. Some of these toilets are still in operation in India.

indian birds

Indian Sip Crisis

Indian Sips from the genus of vultures are by nature predatory scavengers. Huge wings allow them to make circles in the air for several hours. Their beaks are designed to tear off chunks of flesh from prey. Despite all these awesome qualities of vultures, they play an important role in the ecological cycle helping to process carrion.

Even 20 years ago, there were a huge number of these birds in India - flocks of vultures circled in the air, making the sky black. But by 1999 their numbers have dropped substantially due to a mysterious kidney disease. By 2008 the number of sips decreased by 10 percent. Later it turned out that the birds died because of the medicine - diclofenac(painkiller, which is on a par with aspirin and ibuprofen).

Hindus deeply revere cows and if they notice any signs of pain in them, they pump them with diclofenac. After the death of animals, vultures usually eat their corpses.. Despite the fact that vultures have one of the most perfect digestive systems on the planet, they are not able to process the medicine.

India bans giving diclofenac to animals in 2006 year, but it is still widely used. The disappearance of Indian vultures threatens with great disaster: wild dogs and rats that spread pathogens will take their place. Vultures in this sense are irreplaceable predators, since all harmful substances in their stomachs are destroyed.

Indian tigers

killer cats

When tens of thousands of these big tabby cats lived in India, they were dangerous, so locals knew very well that at night you can't go far from the fire to avoid becoming prey to predators.

Hunting for tigers is a serious matter, as a predator is not so easy to kill. Even a tiger wounded in a vital organ may not die immediately. A wounded beast can run away and then attack weaker prey. Tigers often attack people, suspecting nothing.

famous Champawat tigress killer considered one of the most dangerous predators, on her account was over 400 deaths. In 1907 the legendary hunter Jim Corbett finally put an end to her chaos.

There are relatively few tigers left in India today, according to data World Fund wildlife, lives here about 3200 big cats. Every year, these creatures kill dozens of people, especially in Sundarbans, mangrove forests, where about 500 tigers are found.

There is an assumption that bad water makes tigers irritable and unnaturally aggressive. The fishermen who come to these places wear face masks on the back of the head because tigers love to attack from behind.

Indian elephants

Drunkenness in the animal kingdom

We can't stop admiring elephants - the largest land mammals, which have great intelligence. Elephants can resemble humans: some especially intelligent representatives even they can draw real pictures, as well as imitate human speech. Just like us, elephants sometimes want to drink something intoxicating.

In 2012, a herd of elephants from 50 individuals drunk alcoholic drink from the flowers of the tree maduka. After drinking about 500 liters of alcohol, the elephants became violent and destroyed dozens of houses in the village. Dumurkot. After a few hours, they left the village, leaving behind the strongest destruction.

This isn't the first time elephants have been involved in drunken brawls. The problem has become so widespread that in some areas, fences hung hot chili peppers in the hope that he will scare away the elephants. It is known that chili peppers are the most spicy, so intruders at the sight of them try to stay away.

Fish of India

Dangerous underwater predators

Catfish can reach impressive sizes, but these fish usually do not cause thoughts of danger. In the Kali River in India, South Asian giant catfish who is blamed for the deaths of several people.

According to Indian customs, after death, the human body is burned, and all that remains is thrown into the river. They feast on these human remains giant catfish. On such a diet, fish can reach incredible sizes - up to 70 kilograms. There is no doubt that they are involved in mysterious disappearances bathers.

Although catfish do not have a reputation for being such dangerous predators as sharks, fish the size of a man can easily grab a swimmer by the leg and pull him to the depth, drowning him.

Lions of India

Rare endangered species

In India, there are not only tigers, but also others big cats. Rare Asian lions live in national park Gir forest in the west of the country. Once these animals could be found not only in Africa, India and the Middle East, but even in Europe - in Greece and Hungary!

Today, the number of lions has been reduced to a minimum. Gir lions exist only about 400 individuals, and are separated from their African relatives by tens of thousands of years of evolution. Indian lions are slightly smaller than African lions, and their manes are not as lush.

Unfortunately, there are so few of these predators left that they are forced to resort to inbreeding, which significantly weakens their immunity. Any epidemic or even forest fire can completely destroy the entire population. A small group of lions have been relocated to a neighboring state to preserve this rare subspecies.

Rats of India

Holy Temple of the Rats

A rat that has climbed into the house can panic all household members. These animals are uninvited guests for our dwellings. It turns out that in some parts of India, rats are not only not afraid, but even revered as sacred animals.

in the temple Karni Mats in northern India (state Rajasthan) live thousands of rats, which are protected and fed. According to legend, Karni Mata was a Hindu saint - the incarnation on Earth of the goddess Durga. When one of Mata's stepsons drowned, she began to pray to the god of death, Yama, to return her son to her. Pit turned all of Mata's children into rats.

In the temple of Karni Mata today lives, according to the ministers, about 20 thousand rats who feast on milk kindly provided to them by believers in large vats. Among huge amount gray rodents are found a few whites, who are considered the incarnation of Karni Mata herself and her sons. To see these albinos is considered a great success.

The temple is open to the public, but far away not all tourists dare to get into it: rats are everywhere, and they are not at all afraid of people. Moreover, only barefoot is allowed to enter the temple grounds.

Enemies of dangerous cobras - mongooses

A story about Riki-tiki-tavi Kipling is not an invention at all. King Cobra - one of the most dangerous snakes on the planet. She has a curious feature: the cobra can rise up and even look into the eyes of a person of average height, while she emits a frightening hiss and widely inflates her hood. In one bite of a cobra so much poison that it is enough to kill 20 people. However, even such dangerous beast there are enemies.

mongoose- small cute animals the size of a ferret. However, these animals turn out to be very dexterous predators: they are fast, agile and can kill a cobra or any other snake with incredible agility.

They are protected from deadly poison, therefore, even after being bitten by a cobra, they do not die, however, they are so good at hunting that the snake just does not have time to bite them. They begin to dance from side to side in front of the snake, jumping deftly when the snake tries to strike. At the right moment, the mongoose grabs the snake by the head and kills it.

In India, many representatives of the fauna are surrounded by an aura of holiness, for example, cows, snakes, crocodiles living in ponds or reservoirs near temples. The differences in these cases are related to local traditions. Special attitude in India to monkeys. In this country, they have long been revered thanks to their ancient mythical leader Hanuman. It was he who at one time tied a torch to his tail to illuminate the battlefield and help King Rama defeat the evil demon Ravana.

In northern India, the attitude towards monkeys that fill groves and take over entire villages is twofold. The importunity of these animals, caused by their curiosity and thieving, sometimes reaches extreme, sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic tricks. Therefore, in everyday life, the divine halo of monkeys often goes out. They are often subjected to abuse and even beatings.

There are cases when voracious brown macaques, reaching the age of 18, raid apartments in the heart of New Delhi. For them, it costs nothing to climb the upper floors of multi-storey buildings and, taking advantage of the absence of the owners, destroy all stocks of food, including those stored in refrigerators. In Delhi, there are several million of these creatures, which are vindictive, capable of turning the life of the inhabitants of entire city blocks into a living hell at any moment. They say that macaques are feared even by officials of the Ministry of Defense, where they once visited and committed a complete pogrom in the meeting room.

In the city of Naggar, in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, a flock of monkeys periodically devastates the famous orchard around the museum-estate of the Roerich family, eating all the fruits, even unripe ones. The frightened inhabitants of this particular region decided that they had had enough and "took up knives", or rather scalpels, to sterilize the annoying male primates, having received the sanction of the Ministry of Health. The example of the Himachals was followed by the Delhi municipality, which ordered to catch these rapidly breeding mammals and take them to suburban reservations. True, this coercive measure has not yet led to the desired results. The monkey colony, accustomed to city comforts, is clearly not satisfied with the prospect of being in the jungle again.

Nothing is known about the exact number of monkeys living in Indian cities, but they can be seen almost everywhere, especially in areas dominated by Vaishnavism. Although macaques and their larger brethren are denied the right to the protection enjoyed by sacred cows, monkeys in general live quite well, since many temples are dedicated to them. In one of the temple complexes of New Delhi, at least a twenty-meter statue rises in honor of the Hindu hero Hanuman. And this means that this iconic place is visited by numerous pilgrims and monkeys will always find something to eat and entertain themselves, for example, posing for photographers or taking bananas from tourists.

India is an amazing source of forgotten culture and ancient traditions. All more people go to India to plunge into history, to understand how people lived in antiquity, and why so many animals are considered sacred in India.

India is the land of vegetarians, and, probably, the main, but not the only sacred animal of India is the cow (6 letters). However, there is no ban on the consumption of beef in the country and non-Hindus eat beef with pleasure and even serve it in restaurants.

If you are asked name the sacred animal of india, there is something to get confused here, since elephant, monkey and even a snake are considered sacred animals on a par with a cow in India.

The elephant is a sacred animal in India.

The elephant has become sacred for his diligence, he is like a personal crane, truck, tractor and personal vehicle in the family all rolled into one. And the elephant also protected the dwelling and was even used in wars as a ram weapon or a tank, if you like, it is well written about the role of elephants in wars in this article.

Why did the monkey become a sacred animal, it would seem difficult to understand, a wimp, which does not bring any benefit in the house, and meanwhile - the monkey is also a sacred animal for the Indians. To understand why the monkey is considered a sacred animal, you can plunge into the Indian epic and remember the wars of people and monkeys.

By historical information on the territory of India in ancient times lived a people of intelligent monkeys, who were not inferior to people in knowledge and culture and even surpassed them in strength and intelligence. Search the Internet about wars between humans and monkeys, these are not fiction, but historical facts about more ancient civilizations that inhabited the territory of India in ancient times.

The sacred animal of India is the snake.

This representative of the animal world does not cause sympathy in any person, only fear. And meanwhile the snake is also a sacred animal. In India, there is a holiday of snakes, it is called, in my opinion, Nagapanchami - if I did not distort its sound, on this day it is customary to treat snakes with milk and rice, and bring flowers to snake holes.

Why is the snake considered a sacred animal in India? Apparently, this is also the history of the development of man in parallel with the intelligent branch of reptiles.

It is generally accepted that Hindi is spoken in India, encyclopedias write that Hindi is the most widely spoken language in the world. But, unfortunately, if you learn Hindi and travel to India, you will be very disappointed there - you will not be able to communicate in it, since Hindi is a generalized name for several thousand local dialects, and it is spoken only in the north of the country. You better teach English language, India has long been an English colony, and many residents still communicate in it.

India is not an easy country - bright in its decorations, wise, like its history with sacred animals, with traditions and knowledge that came from the depths of millennia.

People who are not initiated into Hindu beliefs are usually extremely surprised to see how monkeys feel at ease in Indian bazaars. They climb everywhere, drag fruit and other food from the shelves, and no one drives them away - on the contrary, it seems that they are expected here as dear guests. Such honors are awarded to Hindus living in India and Sri Lanka, a monkey hanuman langur (Semnopithecus entellus). Some of them ravage fields and gardens, while others who live in temples are brought food by the locals themselves.

Hindus have every reason to revere monkeys: according to their ideas, the monkey god Hanuman miraculously saved the wife of the god Rama, Sita, from the encroachments of the demon Ramana. Rama is one of the supreme Indian gods, and Hanuman was honored to be his companion. Hanuman is also considered the patron of the arts and healing.

This deity is worshiped by millions of Hindus, and his images can be found in many Hindu dwellings. Temples are erected in honor of Hanuman - other pilgrims on the way to such a temple even try to imitate the behavior of monkeys, thereby showing the greatest respect to their idol. During religious festivities, bright, colorful processions of thousands of believers move through the streets, carrying images of the monkey god. The participants in the celebrations are seized with trembling excitement, and, as one of the witnesses of such a spectacle wrote, "no one refused to give alms to the numerous beggars sitting along the streets."

According to the ideas of the Hindus, the one who settles in the resting place of the monkey Hanuman will soon be overtaken by death. There are special "clairvoyants" who are invited to find out if the remains of a monkey are resting on a place chosen for building a house.

It goes without saying that among believing Hindus, insulting a sacred monkey is considered a grave sin, which some irresponsible people take advantage of, “inviting” monkeys to “annoy” an enemy or a quarrelsome neighbor. To this end, they pour rice on the roof of his house. The monkey instantly understands what's the matter, and climbs for a treat. And since rice grains inevitably roll under the tiles that cover the roof, the monkey breaks it off in search of a treat, thus causing decent damage to the objectionable. And try to touch her!

Monkeys of the genus Langurs ( Presbytis) are considered the fastest primates on earth, capable of running at speeds up to 40 kilometers per hour. They can also jump from one tree to another 15 meters away. When a monkey gives birth to a baby, the newly-born mother is immediately surrounded by many females, obviously delighted with the addition to the family. The cub is strikingly different in color from the adult monkey. In these monkeys, there were cases of killing cubs when a strange male came to the place of the head of the family. Some scientists explain such cruel behavior by the fact that females who have lost offspring become more quickly ready for the resumption of sexual life, because they no longer need to feed the cub with milk. According to scientists, the male knows about this and destroys the offspring left by the previous father.

Another one interesting monkey from the genus of langurs - the common nosach, or kahau ( Nasalis larvatus), found in the marshy forests of Borneo. Some biologists consider it the most extravagant of all monkey species. The male has an amazing nose, reaching 17 centimeters in length and hanging below the chin. Exact explanations for this miracle of nature have not yet been found, but it seems that a long nose serves the male as a resonator for characteristic loud "call signs" reminiscent of "kahau" (hence the second name of the proboscis). And the locals call this monkey "blanda", as they called the first Dutch colonists.

Monkeys can also be found in some temples in Nepal, but here the Rhesus macaque is held in high esteem ( Macaca mulatta). Around other Hindu temples, whole crowds of these tailed creatures roam freely. They say that people settled sacred monkeys in temples two millennia ago - since then they have been living there, generation after generation. Currently, about 300 Rhesus monkeys permanently reside in the famous Pashupati Temple in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Do I need to explain how free life they lead in this sacred place for Hindus. What they just do not feed: and rice, and peanuts, and pumpkin! When they go out for a walk, people vying with each other offer them sweets. sacred monkeys are under the protection of Nepalese laws.

Rhesus macaques can also be seen in the Buddhist temple in Swayambhu - apparently, in ancient times, these animals came here from the forest, and when people fed them, they decided to stay here forever.

We continue, friends, acquaintance with the animal world of India. In this article, I want to tell you about another sacred animal of India, revered no less than the Cow - about the MONKEY.

In India, monkeys are considered sacred. According to an old legend, Hanuman (a monkey) stole delicious mangoes from the garden of a mythical giant and gave them to people. The monkey was caught and sentenced to be burned alive, but she managed to put out the fire and stay alive. When extinguishing the fire, she burned her face and hands, which remained black. This legend prompted the Indians to refer the monkey to a number of sacred animals, and even living gods. Entire temples are built for them, where they are revered and cherished. And the locals and peasants patiently endure all their pranks that these nimble animals do in gardens and plantations. It is forbidden to hunt monkeys, and the locals
The inhabitants open their houses wide open before them, and in the gardens they grow their favorite fruits.

According to the ancient Indian epic Ramayana, Hanuman, the son of a monkey and the wind god, helped the god Rama defeat enemies and return his wife Sita, who was kidnapped by the evil king of the island of Lanka, Ravana. Hanuman easily flies across the strait separating India from Ceylon, finds Sita hidden there and returns it to Rama. For his devotional service, Rama showered Hanuman with gifts and rewarded him with eternal youth.

There is another legend that the monkeys helped the god Vishnu. The inhabitants of the country were oppressed by a terrible giant, and Vishnu entered into a fight with him. But, one was unable to cope with the enemy, then he called for help from the monkey people, and defeated the Giant. Also, therefore monkeys are sacred animals in India.

They also treat monkeys living in sacred temples with privileges. Many tourists love to feed the monkeys and take pictures with them. Animals are so accustomed to the fact that people feed them that they brazenly beg people for food, and if they don’t get what they want, they become aggressive and may even bite. Monkeys have become so bold that they climb into houses, spoil things and food, and sometimes even steal small animals. In a year they eat so much food that this amount would be enough to feed 10% of the country's population, about 50 million people!!!

These are heat-loving animals, they live mainly in countries with a hot climate. In India, there are over 40 million individuals. Basically, these are macaques - rhesus.

These are thin-bodied monkeys, small in size, with a tail that is longer than its entire body. There is a brush at the end of the tail. A monkey with yellow-white fur and a black tuft pulled over his face in the form of a hood. Because of this black hood, the Indians consider the monkey sacred. The mass of these animals ranges from 2.5 to 8 kg. The ears and face are hairless. They feed on ripe fruits, leaves, insects, and do not disdain planting on agricultural plantations - cereals, rice, peanuts, coffee beans and coconuts. A family group of macaques can contain from 3 to 80 individuals!!! The hierarchy of relationships is based on maternal kinship. The herd is ruled by females who remain in the herd until old age. And the males, having reached puberty, are forced to leave the herd. Sexual maturity in monkeys occurs at 3-4 years, the pregnancy of females lasts about 180 days. As a rule, one, less often two cubs are born, which remain near the mother up to 1.5 - 2 years.

All monkeys are easily tamed. They live not only in zoos, they are even kept at home. Getting used to people, monkeys often adopt the habits of people and simply amaze with their intelligence and ability to imitate. Tamed trained monkeys often appear on television and act in films. Tamed monkeys are able to perform various tasks of people. In Thailand, for example, tame macaques have long helped people in the collection of coconuts, and even surpass people in this skill, because a person sometimes cannot distinguish a ripe nut from an unripe one, and monkeys do it unmistakably.

They can also provide serious services to scientists - botanists in the collection of herbariums in the tropics. Easily climbing the highest and thinnest branches of trees, the monkeys, at the command of a person, break off and bring him the necessary leaves, branches and flowers. The Singapore Botanic Gardens has a monkey nursery where several animals have acquired the profession of plant hunter. They are able to find in the impenetrable jungle rare plants if they are shown a branch or leaf of this plant.

And yet we should not forget that for all their intelligence and ability to imitate people, monkeys do not at all have the same consciousness as a person and are not able to think like a person. The basis of the mental activity of animals, their behavior, are, first of all, instincts, innate and conditioned reflexes.

Primitive thinking of animals with high level intelligence, close to human, including monkeys - this is thinking with specific images, called pre-linguistic. For animals, signal stimuli that cause mental processes in the brain can only be direct stimuli - these are olfactory, visual, sound, gustatory and thermal effects.

That's how funny they are, monkeys. But, at the same time, smart, quick-witted and insightful.

It is not for nothing that they are considered SACRED ANIMALS OF INDIA.

I invite you friends to watch a wonderful cartoon in HD quality based on the ancient Indian epic Ramayana.