A girl in India has managed to thwart a monkey attack thanks to the help of an Amazon Alexa device.
The incident occurred on Thursday (April 11), at a residence in the Basti region of Uttar Pradesh. Pankaj Ojha had reportedly left the main door open by mistake when a large-sized monkey entered his house. The primate entered the double-storey residence, vandalized the drawing room on the ground floor, and then climbed to the kitchen on the first floor in search of food.
Ojha’s 13-year-old sister-in-law, Nikita, and his 15-month-old daughter, Vamika, were playing in a bedroom next door when they spotted the monkey coming towards them. Thanks to Nikita’s quick thinking, she managed to frighten the pesky monkey away by instructing her Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen.) to imitate a dog’s bark. Startled, the intruder leapt out of a window and vanished from view.
The Times of India quoted Nikita, who said, “There were no adults around when the monkey walked in. I was scared but determined to prevent an attack. I spotted the Alexa kept above the refrigerator in the kitchen and gave it the command. Since everything was happening so quickly, I was not sure whether the trick would work. Fortunately, it did.”
Ohja added: “Most electronic appliances in my home are synced with Alexa. It’s usual for us to give commands and get things done. But for the first time, it saved the two kids in my house from an imminent monkey attack.”
Amazon responds to Alexa monkey rescue
An Amazon spokesperson told ABP Live, “The incident in Basti is a great example of how quick thinking paired with easy-to-use technology like Alexa can be of assistance around the house. It is very simple to just ask Alexa in English, Hindi or Hinglish for music, information, and in this case the sound of a dog barking. We are committed to making Alexa more useful for customers in India.”
It’s not the first time an Amazon Alexa has come to the rescue. In June 2023, a woman in Hutto, Texas, used the device to call her daughter, who immediately contacted emergency services after her mother had collapsed at home. “If it hadn’t been for Alexa, and it hadn’t been for my daughter, I wouldn’t be here today,” Jeannie Dubbel told KVUE.
Featured image: Canva
