Monkey which attacked 18 people in Indonesia trapped
Animal trappers in Indonesia have captured a monkey which has been randomly attacking people on Sumatra Island over the last two weeks, prompting dozens of schools to close in fear.
A monkey, a long-tailed macaque, has been causing trouble in Tembilahan, a town on Sumatra Island in Indonesia. Over the past two weeks, the primate has randomly attacked 18 people, resulting in 18 separate incidents. Most victims were alone when they were bitten or clawed by the monkey. Those injured ranged from children to the elderly.
One individual was attacked twice, requiring over a dozen stitches and rabies shots. The rescue service set a trap and captured the monkey yesterday. It was found alive but stressed in a cage. Town officials are urging residents to remain cautious as there may be other monkeys causing similar attacks. Currently, 40 schools remain closed, with online learning ordered for hundreds of pupils.
The local government plans to reopen the schools on Monday if the situation is deemed safe. The monkey has been transferred to Pekanbaru, the capital of Sumatra's Riau province, for blood and observational tests by the nature conservation agency. They aim to determine if the monkey carries any diseases. Human-animal conflicts are common in the region, particularly as rainforests are cleared for palm oil plantations, shrinking habitats for animals like monkeys, elephants, and tigers.
Written by urgent.news from RTE News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
