A lone female hiker was bitten by a monkey on Wednesday (Apr. 3) at Chestnut Nature Park.

Held a plastic bag and water bottle

Amy, the 32-year-old woman, told Shin Min Daily News she reached the park at 10am and was getting ready to head home around 1pm.

"I was walking down a flight of steps, holding a plastic bag with a bottle of water with my right hand. I wanted to drink some water, so I took the bottle out of the plastic bag."

At that moment, a large monkey apparently suddenly appeared from the trees and bit her on her right arm, drawing blood and leaving a bite mark.

Quickly ran away

There was no one around her, so she could only think to wave her right arm repeatedly to shake the monkey off.

She shared that the bite was very painful and she quickly ran away in fear.

"As I ran away, I turned and saw that the monkey was standing on the ground looking at me. It bared its teeth at me, it was terrifying."

She also noticed that there were three more monkeys behind the one that had bitten her, which could have been its offspring.

She added that she did not understand why the monkey bit her, but guessed that it had wanted to snatch her water bottle or the plastic bag to look for food for its family.

"I know that there are monkeys in the nature park, but I did not provoke them or take photos of them. Now that I think about it, if it bit my face or bit young children, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Given a tetanus shot

Amy then sought medical attention at a nearby clinic.

The doctor gave her a tetanus shot, asked her to keep the wound clean, and prescribed some cream and oral medication.

She noted that while the bite still hurts, it does not affect her daily life.

Amy told Shin Min she is still too afraid to visit a nature park again.

She hopes her experience can remind hikers to stay alert and keep their distance from monkeys to avoid similar incidents from happening.

Do not carry plastic bags in parks

The National Parks Board (NParks) advises visitors to use backpacks instead of plastic bags in parks and nature reserves.

This is so as monkeys often associate plastic bags and other containers as food sources.

As such, they may instinctively grab these items when they see them.

Food items or containers should also be hidden from view.

Members of the public are reminded not to feed monkeys, as this may reinforce their association of humans with food.

This can cause them to approach other people and result in negative human-monkey encounters.

What to do if you encounter a monkey

If you encounter a monkey, you are advised to remain calm and quiet.

Do not make sudden movements or make eye contact with it.

Walk away slowly and make sure not to not turn away or run.

If you are holding an object that is attracting it, hide it or throw it away.

Top images via Amy.