“Alexa, bark like a dog”: How the 13-year-old UP girl stopped a monkey assault

LUCKNOW: A virtual assistant gadget saved two children in UP’s Basti by imitating a dog’s bark, which was strong enough to frighten off a monkey that had broken into their house. This proves that technology can sometimes outsmart even the most formidable monkey.
The incident started on Thursday when Awas Vikas Colony resident Pankaj Ojha accidentally left his home’s main door open while hurrying outside to drop off a visitor at a nearby bus stop.

In pursuit of food, a giant, menacing monkey went into Ojha’s two-story home and vandalised the drawing room on the ground level before scaling to the kitchen on the first floor.
Ojha’s sister-in-law Nikita (age 13) and his 15-month-old daughter Vamika were playing in the bedroom next to the kitchen when they saw the monkey moving in their direction. Nikita overcame her anxiety and quickly exhibited mental clarity by telling Amazon’s “Alexa” to start barking like a dog. The plan succeeded, and the monkey, alarmed by the incessant barking, leaped to the roof of a neighbour, then to a tree, before disappearing from view.
“When the monkey entered, no adults were present. Despite my fear, I was determined to stop an assault. I saw the Alexa in the kitchen, stored above the refrigerator and I gave it the order. Everything was moving so fast that I was not sure whether the trick would hold up. Thankfully, it did,” Nikita said.
Ojha was really grateful for the gadget. “Alexa is connected to the majority of my home’s technological gadgets. We are used to giving orders and doing tasks. However, it prevented an impending monkey assault for the first time for the two children living in my home,” Ojha said.