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Many tourists, traveling to exotic countries, naively believe that monkeys are funny, cute animals that pose no danger. But in reality, even the most common macaques, which are widespread in areas inhabited by humans and most often encountered by tourists in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, India, etc., are dangerous animals. From funny and cute, they can quickly become vicious and aggressive, and can even infect you with deadly diseases.
Most often, tourists suffer from monkey theft and robbery: they steal and take away food and personal belongings. You can easily lose a bottle of water, a bag of chips, a hat, glasses, a phone, a camera, and even a wallet. There have been cases where they removed jewelry and tore earrings out of ears. Interestingly, they may not react at all to locals, since they know and fear them, but they easily recognize tourists and attack them.
They steal things completely unceremoniously, as if they are the rightful owners. They can approach your backpack on the beach and drag it away entirely, or unzip it and shake out the contents. Attempts to shoo them away can only anger them, and as a result, they become even more aggressive and band together in troops to fight back. During such a conflict, they can scratch or bite you, and that's very bad.
Monkeys often cross the line and take things directly from hands or backpacks, pulling them out of pockets. This most often happens in places where they are spoiled by people, for example, on tourist monkey islands or in special monkey parks.
How to Behave Properly When Meeting Monkeys?
Here are the basic rules that will help you avoid conflicts and keep your belongings safe:
- Hide all valuables. Before going to monkey parks and any other places where you might encounter them in large numbers, hide all items that can be easily stolen in your backpack. Also, remove everything from the side pockets of backpacks so as not to attract unnecessary attention. Don't forget about open pockets of pants and shorts.
- Don't panic during close contact. If a monkey approaches you very closely, touches you, or even climbs on your shoulders, don't panic or make sudden movements. As a rule, in such cases they are friendly and playful, and if you have nothing to take, they will quickly lose interest and go on their way.
- Don't make eye contact or smile. You should not look monkeys directly in the eyes or show your teeth, as for them this is a sign of aggressive intentions.
- Feed them properly. If you decide to feed the monkeys, don't hold or hide food in their sight. They won't leave you alone until they take it all. So it's better to take food out of your backpack a little at a time, but without the monkeys seeing it.
What to Do If a Monkey Stole Your Things?
- Contact the staff. If it comes to theft, try to contact the park staff where it happened.
- Distract the monkey. If there's no one to contact and you need to get your stolen item back, you should act very carefully but confidently. We wouldn't recommend doing this at all, but if there's no other choice, try to distract the monkey with another object. For example, they really like bottles of water or soda, and they might drop one prey for a new one. You can also just wait a little, hoping that inedible items are not interesting, and after playing with them a bit, the monkeys simply throw them away.
- Don't try to take it by force. Monkeys don't attack without a reason. At the very least, you have to anger them, which can happen if you don't give them something or take something away. So if you snatch a stolen item from their paws, be prepared for an attack.
How to Protect Yourself from a Monkey Troop Attack?
- Don't provoke them. If monkeys attack, they do it as a troop. In general, based on our experience (the site's authors), they are cowardly alone, but when attacking they show their teeth and growl, summoning the troop. In a troop, they become much bolder, but they are still afraid of sticks and other objects that can be used to hit. To drive them away from you, grab any object and swing it. Even a backpack will work, which you can spin over your head or around yourself. At the same time, you shouldn't advance on them; it's better to swing and back away, but without turning your back to them. As soon as you move far enough away, they will lose interest and calm down, but they will remember you.
Monkey Bites and Scratches: First Aid and Mandatory Treatment
- Immediately treat any wound. If a monkey bites or scratches you — this is very dangerous. They carry rabies, tetanus, and many other infections. Immediately rinse the wound with plenty of soap and water on the spot, then treat with an antiseptic (Miramistin, Chlorhexidine, or alcohol). Iodine and brilliant green are not recommended — they can burn the tissue and slow healing.
- Scratches are no less serious. Even if it's just a superficial scratch, monkey claws can have traces of saliva or dirt. So the algorithm of actions is the same: rinsing, antiseptic, and a mandatory visit to the doctor.
- See a doctor immediately. In any case — bite or scratch — you will need a specialist consultation. The doctor will prescribe rabies and tetanus prophylaxis (usually several shots). If you have insurance, immediately contact your insurance company and follow their instructions. Without insurance, you'll have to pay for treatment yourself, so we strongly recommend getting travel insurance before your trip. If the hospital is far away, continue rinsing the wound every 15–20 minutes and get to a medical facility as quickly as possible.
Healthcare abroad is expensive, and treatment after contact with a monkey can cost a large sum. In some countries, a course of rabies vaccinations can cost more than $1000, and without insurance you'll have to pay for it out of your own pocket. Don't take the risk — choose insurance that covers emergencies. Compare prices on reliable policies right now:
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