델리 배드민턴 대회, 원숭이 난입 사태 막으려 고군분투

Imagine playing badminton. Suddenly, a monkey jumps on the court. The game stops. Players laugh. This really happened in Delhi!

Delhi is a big city in India. Many wild animals live near the city. Monkeys and pigeons are very common. These animals love human food. They visit parks and outdoor places.

Last year, badminton matches had a problem. Monkeys would jump onto the court during games. Pigeons would fly over the players. The animals wanted food. They did not care about the game!

Now Delhi is hosting a world badminton championship. This is a very big and important event. The organizers wanted to stop the animal problem. They did not want monkeys jumping on players. They did not want birds flying into the game.

So the organizers made a plan. They hired people to keep animals away. These people use special sounds and lights. The sounds scare the monkeys and pigeons. The lights also help. When animals hear the sounds and see the lights, they run away.

The organizers also removed all food near the courts. Monkeys and pigeons eat small pieces of food. If there is no food, the animals stay away. Simple, right?

This is a funny problem, but it is also serious. The players need a clean, safe court. The animals need a clean, safe home in nature. Now both can happen.

Do you think this problem happens in other sports? Maybe birds fly into baseball games? Or squirrels run across soccer fields? What animal problems have you seen?

Inspired by reporting from BBC News.