Endangered macaque disrupts HCMC residential area

For almost a week now, many families on Huynh Tan Phat Street have been repeatedly attacked by a male monkey with gray fur as he entered their houses.

The monkey stole food from family altars and left a mess behind him. In the early mornings, he often runs and jumps on electric wires as well as roofs.

Nguyen Van Phuong, 46, said the monkey appears to be aggressive and is not afraid of humans.

As the monkey wears a strap around his neck, Phuong assumes that he might be a domestic pet that has gotten out from someone’s house.

“Once I tried to capture him on video on my smartphone, but he detected what I was doing and he tried to snatch the device,” said Phuong. “I was lucky enough to get the phone away from him just in time.”

 

 

Endangered macaque disrupts HCMC residential area

Khỉ trộm đồ ăn, quậy phá khu dân cư Sài Gòn

According to the HCMC Forest Protection Department, this species belongs to the long-tailed macaque, or crab-eating macaque family, a group listed as an endangered species in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international agreement between governments.

The department said this species has a natural instinct of entering people’s houses to search for food and attack people, especially children, when they turn hungry.

It warned that people should not try to catch the monkey, but should report any sighting to the department.

In the future, forest rangers will coordinate with the local authorities to monitor sites where the monkeys frequently visit to set traps, shoot them with anesthetics and bring them to the rescue station.