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Today I’m sharing the story of that time I saw a monkey steal a baby, along with a warning of why not to take selfies with monkeys during your travels.
I know it’s tempting to kneel down by these cute furry creatures, but it’s important to be cautious as these little guys can cause a lot more trouble than what’s worth a cool selfie.
As always you can watch and listen to the story on my Youtube channel if you prefer.
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Throw back to my time in Vietnam
Vietnam is an amazing place, and my time there during my year abroad (check out my memoir!) was nothing short of amazing. There were a lot of memorable things that happened during the month I spent there, however none were as terrifying of what I saw in Ha Long bay.
On our tour through Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay
We went on a day tour through both Lan Ha and Ha Long, and if my memory serves me correct, one of the places we stopped at was called ‘Monkey Island’.
The name said it all. If you’ve travelled around Asia already you’ll know that monkeys are commonly found in a lot of places (even cities) and have a bad reputation for stealing people’s snacks (predominantly). On monkey island most of them like to hang out around the beach and the small snack hut that is set up there.
While we were on the beach...the monkeys appeared.
While we were sitting on the sand enjoying the views of the bay, our first run in with a monkey came when one of them tried to take my friends shirt (she’s in the picture above). Luckily as the monkey reached for the shirt which was on top of her backpack, she managed to zip the shirt into the bag to stop him.
A few metres from us was a man with a small child. He had some snacks with him, and was trying to get pictures of some of the monkeys that were lurking around the beach.
Out of nowhere, one monkey near to the man grabbed on to the arm and leg of his child and began pulling away in the opposite direction. The man swiftly pulled back on the child and (thankfully) was able to grab the child up and away from the monkey.
Why you shouldn't take selfies with monkeys
If knowing that monkeys will literally try and steal your children isn’t reason enough to avoid getting close to monkeys… then I don’t know what is!
According to WHO, monkey bites are second to dogs as the most common animal bite risk to travellers. The risk of getting rabies is higher when exposed to dog bites (see this blog for info on this!) but monkeys can also transmit other diseases to humans. Just like after getting bitten by a dog, you should seek out medical care ASAP.
They aren’t only thieves, they can cause bodily harm (like wild animals in general) which is the real reason we want to be cautious around them.
Hide your food, hide your stuff, and hide your babies from the monkeys
Because of the risk of disease and infection, you should always be cautious when around monkeys. Luckily I’ve only had a packet of biscuits and a mango stolen from a monkey before, but believe me when I say they are smart.
There are many places where they have become so comfortable around humans and have learned steal possessions like phones and sunglasses—not just snacks and drinks!
So what should you do when you’re somewhere where monkeys are lurking?
First, keep your distance from them, and don’t be tempted to lean in and get close pictures (no selfies with monkeys guys!). Second, it’s important to keep all your important belongings out of sight, or very firmly in your grasp. Keep your bags zipped up, and food out of sight.
Hide your snacks, hide your stuff, and hide your babies because monkeys be taking everything around you!
That’s all I want to say about monkeys folks. If you are interested in reading more about common diseases you might need to consider before going away, check out this blog.
To summarize, even though it’s interesting to see monkeys, be mindful of the risk of getting too close to them. Of course from a distance, I see nothing wrong with taking photos—just make sure to have a good grip on that camera! Do not underestimate monkeys guys, they are smart and will steal and bite you if they feel like it.
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Thanks so much for reading, and safe travels my friends!
Much love,
Danika
