Hanoi monkey scares locals, has sweet spot for woman

The monkey, whose species and origin remain unknown, lives among tree branches in an alley of Duy Tan Street. Locals often feed it food, but it has been threatening and even attacking passersby lately, they reported.

Nguyen Duc Dat, 28, said he was going for lunch with his coworkers back in September when he saw the monkey sitting on top of a car.

“I think it was cute and strange; I’ve never seen a monkey wandering around on the streets of Hanoi. When I approached it and tried to pet it, it bared its teeth and tried to bite me. I ran away in panic, afraid I would get rabies,” Dat said, adding that local vendors nearby would sometimes feed the monkey fruits.

 

 

Hanoi monkey scares locals, has sweet spot for woman

Troublesome monkey in Hanoi [vid]

guyen Nhu Hue, who lives on Dich Vong Hau Street, said the monkey probably escaped from a house and has been living out in the open for years.

“In the past, people and the monkey lived together in harmony. Locals would often feed it. But lately, the monkey has been showing abnormal signs that affect the lives of people and school children passing by the area. It has bitten four people, who have done absolutely nothing to it. People have been injured, including children,” Hue said.

“My own child is scared of the monkey… Every time the monkey shows up on the other side of the street, I would hush my children to go inside,” she added.

Nguyen Thi Huyen, another local, said she first saw the monkey in April.

“It was very thin and malnourished then. I fed it around 5-6 times a day. I could touch it, and it would climb onto me. Whenever I sat alone, when I felt lonely, it would sit there and stare at me. I would spend most of the evening playing with it,” Huyen said, with tears in her eyes.

“Ever since it showed up, many people wanted to catch it, but they all failed… It would be better if the zoo can bring it to a suitable living environment, because if it stays here, I too think it could get dangerous,” she added.

Authorities of Dich Vong Hau said they were cooperating with the Hanoi zoo to sedate the monkey and take it back to an enclosure. They have spent days trying to do so, but the monkey still evaded capture.

Monkeys are protected in Vietnam, and hunting and capturing them without approval could result in fines or even criminal charges.