Couple accosted by 'aggressive' monkey on St John's Island: 'We just threw the food and ran'
It was the plastic bag.
A couple was accosted by an "aggressive" monkey on St John's Island, causing them to drop a packet of snacks and flee.
A two-minute video of the incident was posted online by TikTok user Saimarn on Feb 27 with the subtitle: "Got robbed."
The monkey can be seen slowly approaching the couple and suddenly reaching up for the plastic bag that Saimarn's girlfriend was carrying.
The animal ripped the plastic bag, causing a piece of food to fall on the ground and the woman to cry out in fear and flee.
But the monkey kept following her even when Saimarn told it to "get lost".
It was only when his girlfriend dropped the packet of snacks for the animal that it stopped following her and went for the food.
As the couple hurried away from the monkey, two other primates showed up to partake in the snacks.
Even more monkeys appeared later in the video, frightening Saimarn's girlfriend.
He told Stomp it happened on Jan 23.
"Yeah, that monkey came out of nowhere," recounted Saimarn.
"He probably sensed food in my girlfriend's plastic bag. I thought he was friendly but kind of aggressive.
"We just threw the food and ran. Then a bunch of them came out from the woods nearby.
"There were no signs - or we didn't see any - about monkeys on the St John's Island.
"It was scary and exciting at the same time."
What should you do if you encounter a monkey or more?
The National Parks Board advises:
- Stop whatever you are doing immediately.
- Remain calm and quiet. Do not make sudden movements and do not maintain direct eye contact with the monkey.
- Look away and back off slowly. Do not turn away from the monkeys and run.
- If you are holding an object that is attracting the monkeys, discard or conceal it.
- Keep away from the area until the monkeys have left
Monkeys also associate plastic bags with the presence of food and will try to snatch them. You are advised to keep plastic bags out of the animals' sight.
Asked whether he would be visiting St John's Island again, Saimarn replied: "No, not anytime soon. We went there on a weekday. It's a very 'ulu' place.
"We prefer East Coast Park."
Are there monkeys at East Coast Park?
