Indian organisers of the Badminton World Championships have hired three men trained to mimic langur calls to scare away monkeys in an attempt to secure the tournament against embarrassing disruptions.
The unusual measure was compelled by disruptions at the India Open earlier this year when a monkey was spotted in the stands and the practice hall at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in the capital Delhi. Players and spectators photographed and filmed the animal, embarrassing the organisers on the world stage. The India Open, an annual badminton event, was also disrupted by pigeons leaving droppings on the court and the practice areas.
The stadium, where the BWF World Championships 2026 begin on 17 August, has since been overhauled to keep animals and birds out. Its ventilator openings have been covered and broken windows sealed, and double doors have been installed at all the 16 entrances to the inner hall.
An anti-pest gel has been applied to air-conditioning pipes to stop pigeons from roosting, the Indian Express reported. A patented US-made device that emits sounds to deter and repel birds will also be deployed at the venue.
Alongside these measures, three men have been tasked with mimicking langur calls to scare away any monkeys.
“It’s not just me. There are two other guys with me,” one langur-mimic identified by the local media as Jabbar said on Monday.
“When we make these calls, monkeys just run away. We also ensure monkeys don’t run into people or cars, etc. We time the mimicking accordingly. This vocal method is quite effective.”
“Getting employment is not consistent, but we do keep getting work from time to time. There are many of us who do it,” he was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
For years, trained grey langurs were used to deter monkeys in public spaces because rhesus macaques were known to fear them. The practice was discontinued after the species was listed under the Wildlife Protection Act, banning people from keeping them captive, owning them privately or hiring them for guard duties.
Langurs were deployed during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. At the G20 Summit in 2023, however, organisers used trained mimics to make langur calls and installed life-size langur cut-outs to deter macaques.
“Monkeys are absolutely terrified of langurs, which is why mimicking is so effective,” a second mimic, identified as Zafar, was quoted as saying by Reuters. “I have served in several government offices and the idea is not to harm the monkeys, but just to make sure they won’t come.”
Mr Jabbar told the Indian Express his mimicry skill had been passed down through generations in his family. “I learnt it from my father, but don’t want my son to do it,” he said.
Star Indian badminton player and former world champion PV Sindhu responded positively to the hiring of langur mimics. “You can laugh at the solution, but you have to love the effort,” she posted online.
“So many people are working behind the scenes to make sure India is ready to welcome the world. Our solutions may be uniquely Indian, but so are our warmth, our spirit and our hospitality,” she said.
Sanjay Mishra, general secretary of the Badminton Association of India, told Sportstar officials had also identified problems with the stadium lighting during the previous tournament and upgraded the system ahead of the World Championships.
The wider refurbishment includes renovation of 2,500 seats and 57 of the stadium complex’s 66 toilets, according to Ambar Pratap Singh, executive director of the Sports Authority of India.
India is hosting the World Championships for the second time. It previously organised the tournament in 2009 in Hyderabad’s Gachibowli Indoor Stadium. After the India Open faced criticism, the country’s ability to hold an event as prestigious as the BWF World Championships was under major scrutiny.
The tournament will see participation by top players such as Shi Yu Qi, Akane Yamaguchi, Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae, Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning, and Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei. PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, and the doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are representing the host country.