Badminton World Championships Go Full 'Desi', Experts To Growl Like Langurs; Here's Why
Delhi’s Badminton World Championships organisers have hired professional mimics to use langur calls to keep monkeys away from the stadium.
If you hear langur-like growls around New Delhi's Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium this month, don't assume an animal has somehow entered the venue.
The sounds could be coming from one of three professional 'monkey whisperers' hired by organisers to keep rhesus macaques away during the Badminton World Championships.
The unusual plan has been put in place ahead of the prestigious tournament, with organisers keen to avoid another monkey-related disruption at an international badminton event in the capital.
From Monkey Trouble To ‘Langur’ Defence
The unusual precaution follows an incident at the India Open earlier this year, when monkeys made their way into the spectator area during matches.
Pictures and videos of the animals inside the venue spread widely online, creating an unexpected talking point around the tournament.
This time, organisers have decided to get ahead of the problem.
Three people with expertise in imitating langur calls have been brought in. Their job is simple: if monkeys enter or approach the stadium, they will use langur-like sounds to scare them away.
There Is A Reason This Trick Works
Rhesus macaques and langurs share several habitats in Delhi, but the two species are very different in size.
Langurs are considerably larger, and rhesus macaques are known to avoid them. The mimics therefore use the sounds associated with langurs, including growls and grunts, to make the smaller monkeys believe a potential threat is nearby.
It is an old-fashioned solution, but one that the people hired for the job have spent years perfecting.
Real langurs cannot simply be brought in for the task. Their use to drive away monkeys has been prohibited in India since 2012.
‘We Have Been Doing This For Generations’
One of the mimics, Zafar, said the work has been part of his family's tradition for generations.
He explained that they have been called to different locations to deal with monkey problems, including North Block, South Block, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Gurugram, Chandigarh and Mathura.
Zafar said there have been very few places where they have not carried out such duties.
That unusual experience will now be tested at one of the country's biggest sporting venues.
PV Sindhu Has Her Say
The arrangement also caught the attention of Indian badminton star PV Sindhu.
Sindhu acknowledged that people might laugh at the unusual solution but praised the effort being made behind the scenes to ensure the tournament runs smoothly.
“You can laugh at the solution, but you have to love the effort,” Sindhu said.
She also pointed to the uniquely Indian nature of the solution while praising the warmth, spirit and hospitality being prepared for international visitors.
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You can laugh at the solution, but you have to love the effort 😂❤️🇮🇳
— PV Sindhu (@Pvsindhu1) August 10, 2026
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.
Can’t wait for the… https://t.co/ORDFuAkITL
India Prepares For World Championships
The Badminton World Championships will take place in New Delhi from August 17 to 23, with India hosting the prestigious tournament after a gap of nearly 17 years.
Organisers are working on everything from the playing courts and spectator facilities to security and infrastructure.
And this time, that preparation includes something rather less conventional.
Keeping Delhi's monkeys away from the world's biggest badminton stars.
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