Monkey Attack Defense: Teenager Uses Amazon's Alexa To Save Toddler From Monkeys That Broke Into Family Home

A teenager in India made use of Alexa, Amazon's artificial intelligence (AI) tool, to fend off monkeys and save a toddler's life.

Amazon's Alexa Used Against Monkey Attack

This frightening event took place in Basti town in Uttar Pradesh in India, when monkeys broke into the home of a family while 13-year-old Nikita was playing with her 15-month-old niece.

The monkeys began to tear the home's kitchen apart. They threw utensils and food around, leaving the two girls in terror and fright. One local report noted that the young child frightenedly called out after seeing the monkeys.

Thinking of how they could fend off the monkeys, Nikita then instructed the home's Amazon Alexa to play dog barking sounds with hopes of shooing the attackers away. When the monkeys heard the barking sounds, they quickly left the home. Local authorities commended the teenager for her instincts and thinking.

The exact monkey species behind the attack was not identified. However, the primates could have been langurs or macaques, which are both commonly spotted across India.

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Monkey Attacks

There are several reasons why monkeys attack. One particular reason is territorialism. Males particularly turn aggressive when they perceive a certain threat to their offspring or territory.

Monkeys could also end up misinterpreting the actions or gestures of humans, perceiving these as threatening. This could prompt them to give aggressive or defensive responses. Aside from this, intended provocations, such as throwing objects or teasing, could also trigger aggressive responses from the animals.

However, one of the primary reasons behind monkey attacks is actually food. Tracie McKinney, a biological anthropology senior lecturer from the University of South Wales, explains that regardless of location or species, a huge factor for monkey attacks and bites is over-habituation.

McKinney explains that when animals no longer fear humans and end up becoming a nuisance, this shows that they have become over-habituated. In nearly all over-habituation cases, the primary factor is actually human food. The food consumed by people is typically irresistible to wildlife. Such food is easy to digest, dense in nutrients, and can be found in unattended backpacks, trash bins, or among people directly.

It is likely that the monkeys broke into the to search for food, after learning that they could find good snacks in human houses. If the monkeys really had an encounter with the toddler, serious harm could have resulted.

In the past years in India, there have been several reports of monkey attacks. Such primates reportedly attacked people and even killed young kids.

In late 2023, a 10-year-old boy ended up dying due to grave injuries caused by a devastating monkey attack. Moreover, in 2022, a four-month-old baby ended up dying after being thrown by monkeys off a roof.