Indonesia captures rogue monkey after two-week attack rampage that injured 18
The animal, an adult long-tailed macaque, wounded 18 residents of the town of Tembilahan, biting and clawing at its victims -- most of whom it targeted when they were alone.
Jakarta, Indonesia - A rampaging monkey that attacked 18 individuals over a two-week period on Sumatra island has been captured, bringing the attack spree to an end. The long-tailed macaque, an adult, inflicted injuries on residents of the town of Tembilahan, biting and clawing at its victims, most of whom were alone. The victims included children and the elderly, with some requiring over a dozen stitches and rabies shots.
The monkey was captured in a trap on Thursday and is now being monitored by wildlife officials in Pekanbaru, the capital of Sumatra's Riau province.
The incident prompted several schools to close, with 40 remaining shut on Friday and three days of online learning ordered for pupils in Tembilahan. The local government stated that the schools will reopen on Monday if deemed safe. Concerns have been raised that there may be other monkeys involved in similar attacks, as the town official urged residents to remain cautious. The nature conservation agency will conduct blood and observational tests to determine if the monkey is carrying any diseases.
Human-animal conflicts are prevalent in Southeast Asia, particularly as rainforests are cleared for palm oil plantations, shrinking the habitats of animals such as monkeys, elephants, and tigers. A biology lecturer at IPB University suggested that some monkeys have become accustomed to living near humans, associating them with food and resorting to theft. It is also possible that the monkey that caused the rampage was previously a pet released into the wild.
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