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One person in Singapore might have returned from a hike on the second day of the Chinese New Year (Jan. 23) to a less-than-pleasant surprise — that their car was now missing one side mirror.
The culprit? A rather inquisitive dusky langur.
The act of mischief was photographed by one Maggie Lim, who shared the photos on Facebook. She did not specify where the incident occurred.
New loot
According to Lim, the monkey's antics attracted a number of onlookers.
It appeared to be attracted to what was inside the red Honda, Lim said, before managing to tear off one of the side mirrors.
It sat on the roof of the car for awhile, inspecting its new loot, and subsequently moved up a tree.
Photo from Maggie Lim / FB
Photo from Maggie Lim / FB
There, the curious langur further examined its reflection in the object.
Photo from Maggie Lim / FB
Photo from Maggie Lim / FB
Photo from Maggie Lim / FB
"I hope your car insurance is up to date, sorry to see this happened," Lim shared her condolences with the car owner.
More about dusky langurs
Dusky langurs are not native to Singapore, but can be found in Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand.
It is understood that three individuals found their way to Singapore from Malaysia sometime in 2019.
In 2020, primate researcher Andie Ang told The Straits Times that one of them has not been seen since September 2019, postulating that it could have died or left the group.
Now, two of them, both males, are sometimes spotted in various parts of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
If you encounter the langurs, Ang advises members of the public to keep a respectful distance of at least five metres.
Flash photography should be avoided as it may scare them.
As with any wildlife, do not feed them as they would become used to the presence of humans.
Ang said that dusky langurs are inquisitive and intelligent creatures, adding that she has observed individuals of the same species in Malaysia staring at their own reflection in the mirror.
Find out more about Singapore's wild neighbours and what to do in their presence via this nifty website here.
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Top photo from Maggie Lim / FB