New Delhi ? Municipal authorities in the Indian capital, who have failed to tackle the city’s monkey menace, are advertising the post of monkey catchers, the Pioneer newspaper said Wednesday.

“We are sending two teams of officials to Assam and Tamil Nadu where monkey catchers are available in plenty,” the newspaper quotes Mayor Arti Mehra as saying.

The decision was taken following the death of Deputy Mayor S.S. Bajwa, who died after falling from a first-floor terrace while fending off an attack by wild monkeys.

Rhesus monkeys are a severe problem for the residents of the city as their habitat is taken over by ever-expanding urban development, but culling the creatures is forbidden by Hindus, who consider them sacred.

The hordes of aggressive animals can cause serious injuries, snatching food from passersby, breaking into houses through open windows and raiding fridges, leaving them empty.

Feeding the animals is cited as the main cause for the monkey eruption in New Delhi, and local police plan tougher measures for those who violate the feeding ban.