Baby macaque seen struggling with fishing hook in its mouth at Lower Peirce Reservoir Park

A heart-wrenching scene unfolded at Lower Peirce Reservoir Park on Feb. 15.

As its family watched on helplessly, a baby long-tailed macaque struggled to free itself from a fishing hook which was caught in its mouth.

'Cries of distress'

Scenes of the harrowing incident were shared in a post on a Facebook page by the Raffles' Banded Langurs Working Group the next day.

According to the post, a park-goer, Oliver Guenter, saw a family of macaques gathered near the water's edge as "cries of distress echoed" in the park.

The reason? A baby macaque had gotten a fishing hook caught in its mouth.

The macaque struggled to break free, its efforts hampered by the fishing line which was tangled in the tree.

Other macaques, including the little one's mother, tried to help but their efforts were in vain.

It was a "a long and painful struggle" before the baby finally freed itself, the post wrote.

The baby's mother was later seen hugging it tightly.

Though the macaque freed itself, the hook left a gash on its cheeks which could lead to an infection, the post said.

In light of the incident, Raffles’ Banded Langur Working Group reminded anglers to fish only in designated areas.

"Be very mindful and properly dispose all fishing hooks, lines, and rubbish to ensure the safety of everyone using the area, human and wildlife alike," the post concluded.

According to the PUB website, the designated fishing area at Lower Peirce Reservoir Park is a short stretch along the water's edge.

NParks statement

In response to Mothership's enquiries, Lim Liang Jim, group director for conservation at the National Parks Board (NParks) said NParks was alerted to an incident involving a long-tailed macaque and a fishing hook at Lower Peirce Reservoir Park on Feb. 15.

Lim added that NParks removed the fishing hook from the site the same afternoon.

"Our parks, gardens and nature areas are for all to enjoy, and NParks encourages all visitors to be considerate of others while enjoying these park spaces," Lim said.

Lim also reminded visitors to adhere to the park regulations and signage, such as by fishing only at designated areas, disposing of rubbish in bins for the safety of the wildlife, and encouraging others to do likewise.

If you spot an animal in distress, you can call Animal Concerns Research and Education Society's (Acres) Wildlife Rescue Hotline at 9783 7782 or NParks' 24-hour Animal Response Centre at 1800-476-1600.

Top image from Raffles' Banded Langurs/Facebook