Indian crop farmers are paying men just over GBP 2 to dress up in bear costumes in the sweltering heat and scare off monkeys.
The first piece of footage seen here shows an Indian farm labourer dressed up as a bear and marching in the field of crops, while the second video shows him sitting down to take a break in the baking sun.
The images were reportedly filmed in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, with the men being paid INR 250 (GBP 2.40) per day.
Local media reports that farmers are hiring men to dress as bears and stand in their fields because it works to scare off marauding animals, particularly monkeys, and to protect their crops. It is also apparently effective in chasing off rogue cattle.
One farmer, named as Sanjeev Mishra, from the village of Bajrang Garh, even reportedly splashed out INR 5,000 (GBP 48.68) on a bear costume for himself to save on having to hire anyone.
He said: “Marauding monkeys or stray cattle on the fields can render months of labour useless.”
Sanjeev added: “This tactic is working well, and is becoming popular in the region.
“However, wearing the bear dress, made of rexine, is not easy, and it is difficult to walk or run around in the fields in hot and humid conditions.”
One farmworker, named as Rajesh Kumar, 26, said: “I wear this disguise daily, and I take five rounds of the fields and then spend the rest of the time sitting under a tree. My wife at times joins me during my nine-hour duty.”
He added: “Since my entire body is covered, I can even charge at the animals without any fear of getting injured by them.”
And a man named as Lovelesh Singh, who is reportedly a farmer from the village of Dhadhaura, said: “This method works well during the day, but we are still finding ways to keep stray cattle away at night.”
Local forestry officer Sanjay Biswal said: “We are aware that farmers have come up with a unique idea to keep monkeys at bay. At present, our department is unable to carry out operations to trap the animals due to paucity of funds.”
