The rather leafy and peaceful neighbourhood of West Marredpally in Secunderabad is home to a largish troop of macaques that has pretty much a free run of the place. No one living here can miss them as they go about their rounds across the area and I've been coming across them almost once in three days ever since I moved to Secunderabad a couple of years ago.
It's not very clear where these animals came from. Some people say that they have been here all along, from the earlier times when these areas were even more thickly wooded. Others say that these are the animals (and their descendants) from the lot that animal rights activists freed from the National Institute of Nutrition some time back.
That, as it may be, they are unavoidable reality in today's Marredpally and from what little I have seen and heard they've not become the menace that they have in other parts of the country. There are the occassional accounts (like from a friend of our's) whose kitchen on the 2nd floor is regularly raided by them.
The area around our house is particularly green with a number of trees - chickoo, gulmohar, neem and a huge and beautiful pipal. Not surprisingly we are regularly visited by the troop - and at different parts of the day. I have been occassionally clicking the animals from the balcony of our house and over the next few days am going to put up a selection of the pics with the different moods of the Marredpally Macaques...
You eye me; I eye U
Mother and child
You mind your business, we mind ours
It seemed like the entire troop was taking its cue from the boss...
If you don't use your balcony, we certainly will!
