Man moved monkey killed by van: 'Father monkey almost attacked me, showing his sharp teeth'
A man witnessed a van running over a monkey at Upper Pierce Reservoir road and was almost attacked by another monkey when he moved the carcass to the side of the road.
Stomper John Lee, wildlife expert and founder of Wildlife Asia Singapore, recounted the "horrifying event" in the Facebook group Singapore Wildlife Sightings in two parts.
He had noticed a small van that appeared to be speeding and it drove past a troop of long-tailed macaque monkeys on March 22 around 5.30pm.
"Usually, drivers would slow down their vehicles and allowed the monkeys enough time to move aside away from the concrete road," said the Stomper.
"However, it was unfortunate that a young baby monkey did not have time to react while the van kept moving fast and eventually ran over the poor baby monkey."
He shared a photo of the animal lying on the road and bleeding.
"Upon seeing a lifeless carcass in the middle of a road where there will be many vehicle plying through, I stopped my vehicle and it caused a slight blockage as I managed to lift the lifeless baby carcass to the side of the road to prevent it from being run over and over again by other vehicles," recounted the Stomper.
"As I was trying to call for help... the big stocky father monkey almost attacked me, showing his sharp teeth, and I had to use my long umbrella to prevent his bite because he mistook me for the cause of his baby's death.
"While I attempted to make the call, the poor grief-stricken mother monkey snatched away her baby from the side of the road and moved off with her baby."
Days earlier, a video was posted online showing a monkey getting hit by a car near Chye Heng Orchid Garden in Mandai, where the road cuts through a dense forest.
In the video uploaded on the Singapore roads accident.com Facebook page on March 20, a troop of monkeys is seen darting across a road.
One monkey running across the road was hit by a white Honda, propelling it forward and causing it to stumble. It quickly regained its footing and continued across the road.
Shortly after, another monkey is seen sliding under vehicles to reach the other side.
It's unclear if the monkeys were injured.
The National Parks Board had previously urged the public to stay vigilant while driving in areas known for wildlife crossings, such as Mandai.
The board advises against handling injured wild animals and encourages the public to report urgent wildlife rescue cases to the 24-hour Animal Response Centre on 1800-476-1600.
