Authorities in Indonesia’s Riau province have caught a wild monkey accused of attacking and injuring at least 17 people over several weeks, Anadolu Agency reported.
Local media reported on Thursday that the monkey was caught in a joint operation by police, the military, firefighters and wildlife officers in the town of Tembilahan in Indragiri Hilir regency, where a trap had been set.
Indragiri Hilir police chief Doni Eko Listianto said Riau’s natural-resources conservation agency (BKSDA) had set three traps at the monkey’s possible hiding spots, one of which caught it.
Authorities believe the captured monkey was responsible for the series of attacks that began on 25 July, after a troop of long-tailed macaques appeared in the Tembilahan area. The report said at least 17 people — children and the elderly — had been attacked by the monkey by Thursday. A large adult male monkey had been suspected of the attacks, which happened on roads, outside homes and even inside several houses; some of the injured needed stitches.
For safety, all schools in Tembilahan district were also ordered to suspend in-person classes for three days and switch to online teaching from Wednesday.
JPNN reported that the captured monkey’s size, aggressive behaviour and a distinctive mark on its face matched descriptions given by victims and witnesses, so officials believe it is the attacking monkey.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report