How to behave with monkeys, precautions

Many tourists, going to exotic countries, naively believe that monkeys are funny funny animals that do not pose any danger. But in fact, even the most common macaques, so widespread in places of human habitation and most often encountered by tourists in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, India, etc., are dangerous animals. From being funny and cute, they can quickly turn 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 were times when they took off their jewelry and tore the earrings out of their ears. And, interestingly, they may not react at all to the locals, because they know them and are afraid, but they easily recognize tourists and attack them.

They steal things quite unceremoniously, as rightful owners. They can approach your backpack on the beach, and drag it away entirely, or unbutton and shake out the contents. Attempts to drive away can only make them angry, and as a result they become even more aggressive and huddle together in packs to fight back. During such a conflict, they can scratch or bite you, and this is very bad.

Often, monkeys cross borders, and take things right out of their hands or backpacks, pull them out of their pockets. Most often this happens in places where they are spoiled by people, for example, on tourist monkey islands or in special monkey parks.

Well, now that you know what you can expect from monkeys, let's move on to tips on how to behave.:

• Before hiking in parks with monkeys and any other places where they can meet in large numbers, hide all the things that can be easily stolen in a backpack. Including remove everything from the side pockets of backpacks, so as not to once again attract their attention. Do not forget about the open pockets of trousers and shorts.
• If the monkey comes very close to you, will touch or even climb on your shoulders, do not panic and make sudden movements. As a rule, in such cases, they are friendly and playful, and if you have nothing to take away, they will quickly lose interest and go their own way.
• You should not look monkeys straight in the eye and show teeth, for them this is a sign of aggressive intentions.
• If you decide to feed monkeys, do not keep or hide food in their sight. They will not leave you alone until they take everything. Therefore, it is better to get food a little from the backpack, but so that the monkeys do not see it.
• If it came to stealing things, then try to contact the staff of the park where it happened.
• If there is no one to turn to, and it is necessary to return the stolen thing, you should act very carefully, but also confidently. We would not recommend doing this at all, but if there is no other way out, then try to distract the monkey with another object. For example, they are very fond of bottles of water or lemonade, and may abandon other prey for a new one. You can also just wait a little, in the hope that inedible items are uninteresting, and after a little play, the monkeys just throw them away.
• Monkeys don't attack for no reason. At a minimum, you should make them angry, which can happen if you don't give them something, or take it away. Therefore, if you snatch the stolen from her clutches, prepare to attack.
• If monkeys attack, they do it in a pack. In general, in our experience (the authors of the site), alone they are cowardly, but when attacked, they show their teeth and growl, calling the pack. In a pack, they become much bolder, but are still afraid of sticks and other objects that can be hit. To drive them away from you, grab any object and swing it. Even a backpack that can be spun over your head or around yourself will do. At the same time, you can not step on them, but it is better to brush them off and move backwards, but without turning your back on them. As soon as you move away from them, they will lose interest and calm down, but they will remember you.
• If a monkey bites you - it's very bad. They carry rabies and many more dangerous diseases, and therefore you immediately need to see a doctor, and there are no options. To begin with, rinse the wound with water and treat it with antiseptics (Miramistin, chlorhexidine, etc.), or alcohol. Use iodine and Zelenka is not recommended. Next, you need to consult a doctor, where you will be prescribed standard treatment in such cases: several injections. If there is insurance, you must first inform the insurance company and act on their instructions, if there is no insurance, you will have to pay for the treatment yourself. Therefore, travel insurance is highly recommended.

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