Kanpur, June 29: BANNO loves beer, she guzzles at least three to four bottles everyday. And if she doesn’t get her quota, she can even turn violent. In fact, Banno has been hooked on the drink for the last decade or so, even as her peers favour bananas. For Banno is a female monkey in Nawabganj locality of Unnao.

For over a decade now, Banno has been living on a tree near a beer shop in Nawabganj. Over the years, she has become the local star, as visitors flock to the area to see the monkey drinking beer.

According to Ram Nath, a local vendor, Banno developed the ‘‘addiction’’ after some taxi drivers gave her some beer on a hot summer day many years back. ‘‘Since then, drivers who pass by have been providing her with half or quarter bottles of beer,’’ he says.

And now, the monkey apparently cannot do without the drink, even going to the extent of attacking people. ‘‘She injures people and snatches their beer bottles,’’ adds Ram Nath.

The owner of the beer shop, Rajesh Singh, admits that Banno helped raise his sale figures. People visit the site just to see the monkey drinking beer. ‘‘But now, she has been hitting business as she has injured at least half-a-dozen people in the last few months,’’ he says.

Manju Kumari, a daily wage worker, adds that Banno bit his seven-year-old son when he was playing near the beer shop.

Pappu Verma is another of Banno’s victims. ‘‘I had heard that she consumes a full bottle of beer. I had just purchased beer at the shop when Banno pounced on me,’’ he says.

Meanwhile, a crowds gathers to watch Banno, who is carrying a bottle as usual. The beer has made her overweight. But locals remain attached to her, especially as the monkey is so old and has been around for years.