Monkeys overrun New Delhi government buildings

	VIDEO
CNN's Denise Dillon looks at the simian paradox in New Delhi Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

NEW DELHI, India -- Many a government has been accused of monkeying around with public policy. But in India, it's the monkeys who are calling the shots.

The stately buildings which house the Indian government in New Delhi are increasingly home to thousands of primates, and desperate officials aren't sure what to do.

Monkeys have a sacred status in India's main religion Hinduism, which forbids killing or trapping the animals.

Employees and nearby residents say the monkeys are getting increasingly aggressive -- barging into offices, stealing food and even tearing apart documents. They may even pose a security risk.

Experts say the main problem isn't the rising numbers of monkeys, but the growing population of humans.

"We have encroached in their homelands, we have taken away their fruits, we have reduced the water source," says Iqbal Malik, an animal-rights activist. "So they are coming to the urban areas."