Tourist shares bananas with one armed wild monkey in India

India is home to a large number of monkeys. They live in the forests and also on the outskirts of many cities. Highly adaptable, they thrive where humans do because they are able to scrounge or steal food. And many people in India give the monkeys food. This is done out of a general kindness for animals, but also because the monkeys are revered and believed to have a spiritual significance. These monkeys live in a forested area in the hills between Agra and Jaipur. They come down to the roadside to find food at the roadside fruit and vegetable stands. Canadian tourists had stopped on their journey and became fascinated with the monkeys and with the vendor who was feeding them. Impressed with his kindness, the tourists went over to get a closer look. They bought his remaining bananas and began feeding the monkeys.

One of the larger monkeys was missing his right arm below the elbow. Although he seemed otherwise healthy, this poor fellow obviously had some struggles. Trying to get him bananas was a challenge amid all the other monkeys. He was a little timid and the others were bold enough to grab the bananas before he got any. Many monkeys actually grabbed two bananas before running off.

This Canadian was persistent in getting him a snack so he gave out bananas quickly while he moved closer to the one-armed monkey. Finally, the little fellow came close enough to take on. Because he had only one hand, he could not take a second. He ran off with the food and perched on top of the nearby wall to eat it.

This monkey seemed to do fine with his challenges. He finished the banana, scratched, and then walked along the wall to look at the peanuts left on top by the vendor. Surprisingly, monkeys with one arm are not uncommon in India.