Dehydrated ‘pirate’ monkeys trap passengers on bus until they hand over water

A gang of extremely thirsty monkeys appeared to take the bus hostage, only moving from the road when passengers handed over bottles of water during a heatwave

Bus passengers in India were unable to move for hours while a troop of cheeky monkeys blocked the road, only moving when given water by those onboard.

The incident, in India’s Maharashtra State, took place during an intense heatwave that has been causing havoc for both people and animals, with temperatures reaching well over 40C.

The passengers’ nightmare, reported by news site India Today, began when one monkey scuttled in front of a public bus and seemingly refused to move from its path.

The game of chicken reportedly did not last long, with the driver slamming on his breaks and allowing the primate protestor to stop the vehicle.

Having commandeered the bus, the brave monkey seemed to alert his pals, who can be seen in a video of the scene scuttling out of a nearby forest and joining the momentary blockade.

Passengers onboard quickly worked out that the monkey ‘pirates’ were severely dehydrated, and began handing out bottles of water, which only encouraged for thirsty primates to join the party.

Thankfully for everyone on board, once quenched the monkeys stepped away from the road, allowing the bus to drive away.

While this incident was harmless, Indian monkeys can often prove dangerous.

In September last year, a group of primates reportedly snatched a two-month-old baby from its cot in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh

The monkeys were believed to have entered the house in the Indian village of Surajpur and kidnapped him from his family while they were busy finishing the daily house chores.

The baby’s loved ones soon noticed his disappearance and became panicked about where the tot could be.

Sadly, they found the baby had been dumped inside a drum filled with water, with emergency services being called to the scene immediately.

Police from the local station attended and conducted an initial investigation before sending the baby’s body away for a postmortem examination.

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