Two monkeys have come into a residential area of Kurigram in search of food. The animals are bounding across tin roofs, window sunshades and tree branches. No one knows where they came from. Curious passers-by are stopping to watch, though some are frightened.

Residents spotted the two monkeys on the morning of Friday, 18 August, in the Palashbari Pathan area of Kurigram municipality town.

Md Alamgir Hossain, a resident of the area, said: "In the morning I suddenly saw two monkeys side by side in my betel nut garden. They are holding on to leaves in different trees and walking on the tin roofs. Sometimes they sit on the sunshades of houses. We had never seen these two monkeys before. Many people have gathered to see them, and some are afraid of them. So far the monkeys have not harmed anyone. Even so, we are drawing the attention of the Kurigram forest department to take the necessary steps."

Md Adnan Siam, who came to see the monkeys, said: "I have seen monkeys on TV and in the zoo, and I have seen monkey shows, but I have never seen monkeys running around so freely, from tin roofs to trees and from trees to sunshades. I am enjoying watching them, though I was a little scared too."

Kurigram district assistant conservator of forests Mohammad Rashid Arif said there is no chance of monkeys coming to the area on their own as there are no large forests around Kurigram. But they may have crossed the border on fruit trucks, lured by the fruit. These monkeys do not stay in one place and keep moving every little while, he said. "Even so, we are looking into the matter."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.