Monkey at MacRitchie Reservoir snatches hiker's bag, bites her arm when she wouldn't let go 

While hiking at MacRitchie Reservoir with her friends on Mar. 7, a woman had her day ruined when a monkey snatched her handbag.

The monkey also bit her arm when she did not let go of her handbag.

After getting the handbag, the monkey managed to unzip it and fished out a banana from inside.

Bag snatched by monkey

The woman, surnamed Zhao (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News (Shin Min) that on that morning, she was hiking with three friends around MacRitchie Reservoir.

At around 10am, the group was waiting on the trail for one of Zhao's friends to catch up when some monkeys appeared.

"I saw a monkey in front of me, with two smaller monkeys behind it. When I turned my back to them, the monkey suddenly rushed forward and tried to snatch my handbag," said Zhao.

The monkey then bit onto her handbag and refused to let go.

There was a banana and some bread in the bag, Zhao said.

As she was worried she would lose the car keys and wallet inside, Zhao did not release her grip on the handbag.

Seconds later, the monkey bit her arm instead and Zhao was forced to let go of the bag.

Fished out banana to eat

A video shared by Zhao showed the monkey unzipping a blue handbag on the ground and fishing out a banana.

Other monkeys were attracted by the scene.

When Zhao's friends saw this, they threw food from their backpacks in another direction to lure away the monkeys.

This distraction allowed Zhao to retrieve her handbag.

Zhao said she suspected the monkey had been attracted by the bright colours of her handbag.

She said her friends were also carrying food in their backpacks but had not been targeted.

Thankfully, the wound was not deep, and Zhao cleaned it with a wet tissue on the spot.

Later, after reading up online about the risk of being infected by a monkey bite, Zhao decided to visit a doctor.

She was given a tetanus shot and prescribed antibiotics. Her medical bill came up to S$200.

Zhao hopes to share her experience as a warning to those hiking at MacRitchie Reservoir.

She suggested that hikers can store their food in a separate bag from their valuables.

"That way, if your food gets snatched, you can ditch the bag," Zhao said.

NParks advisory on monkeys

According to an NParks advisory, those who encounter monkeys should remain calm and quiet.

They should look away and back off slowly without making any sudden movements or eye contact.

Those holding any object that attracts the monkeys should discard or hide it.

The most commonly seen monkey in Singapore is the long-tailed macaque.

They are frequently seen in places like the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

Visitors are advised to refrain from feeding monkeys as it will cause them to associate people with food and become aggressive towards humans.

Top image from Shin Min Daily News