A woman’s hiking trip turned chaotic when a monkey grabbed her handbag and bit her arm during a struggle for the bag.
The incident happened at 10:00 AM on Friday (7 Mar 2025) at MacRitchie Reservoir.
Ms. Zhao (name transliterated from Mandarin), who is in her 30s, said she was hiking with three friends when they stopped to wait for one friend who was lagging behind.
“I saw a monkey ahead with two smaller monkeys behind it. When I turned my back, the monkey rushed forward and tried to snatch my handbag,” she recounted.
Ms. Zhao refused to let go of her bag as it contained her car keys and wallet.
She feared she wouldn’t be able to recover these items if she released the bag.
Monkey Grabbed Handbag for Food
She mentioned that her bag also contained a banana and a piece of bread.
Within five seconds, the monkey bit her arm, forcing her to release the handbag.
“I wanted to kick the monkey, but I was wearing shorts and was afraid of getting bitten,” she said.
Video footage shows the monkey trying to bite through the light blue handbag before successfully unzipping it and taking out the banana.
Ms. Zhao revealed that her friend’s backpack also contained a banana and bread, but the others carried dark-colored backpacks.
“The monkey might have been drawn to the color of my handbag, and the fact that it wasn’t a backpack made it a target,” she said.
She thinks the monkey became “annoyed” because she wouldn’t let go of her handbag.
Medical Treatment Required After Bite
“I didn’t think the wound was serious at first and just wiped it with a wet tissue. After checking online later, I was worried about viruses from the monkey and decided to go to the hospital,” she explained.
The doctor gave her a tetanus shot and prescribed antibiotics, costing about SGD$200 in medical fees.
She hopes to warn others, particularly first-time hikers at MacRitchie Reservoir.
“If you must bring food while hiking, remember to keep food and valuables separate. If food gets snatched, you can simply abandon the bag.”
According to the National Parks Board’s official website, if members of the public encounter monkeys outdoors, they should remain quiet and calm.
People should not make sudden movements or maintain eye contact with monkeys.
The public is also advised to use backpacks instead of plastic bags, as monkeys typically associate plastic bags with food.
If an item in someone’s hand attracts a monkey, they should discard or hide the item.
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