Politics - News Analysis

Indians Fear Donald and Melania Trump Will Be Attacked by Monkeys When They Visit India Next Week

Donald Trump’s Secret Service detail will have to keep a sharp lookout for a swarm of dangerous characters during his upcoming visit to the Taj Mahal — hundreds of aggressive monkeys that harass tourists, according to reports.

The threat posed by up to 700 rhesus macaques living at the 17th-century Indian mausoleum is so significant that police will be armed with small catapults to guard the commander-in-chief, according to the Independent.

“The terror of the monkeys is so pervasive that women and children are scared of going up on the roof of their houses, which have almost been taken over by monkeys,” a local resident told India Today.

“If such a large troop of monkeys attacks Donald Trump’s entourage, it will be a disaster,” he added.

A police official at the Taj Mahal told the news outlet that “while this catapult is effective against single or a couple of monkeys, when it comes to whole troops of monkeys, the catapult is completely ineffective.”

The mad macaques have attacked tourists while foraging for food at the famed site in the northern city of Agra.

In May 2018, two French tourists were injured by the primates while taking selfies, the Independent reported. Later that year, an infant was killed by one of the feral monkeys after being snatched from his home.

Trump will arrive in India on Feb. 24 for a maiden two-day trip that will also include stops in the western city of Ahmedabad and the capital of New Delhi.

In Agra, workers have been preparing for the president with a massive cleanup, including the polluted waters of the Yamuna river near the Taj Mahal.

On Thursday, they scrubbed the walls and fountains at the monument, which was commissioned in 1632 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his deceased wife Mumtaz, according to Reuters.

Officials have denied local reports that a bridge on a proposed route taken by Trump will be unable to bear the weight of his armor-plated limo, known as “The Beast,” which weighs between 15,000 and 20,000 pounds.

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