Despite what films may portray, creating a planet of apes is not an overnight event — you have to start slowly from one district to another.
Of late, Segar Road in Bukit Panjang has been facing a primate crisis of its own as residents fall victim to attacks by a particularly aggressive simian neighbour who has been raiding homes and biting people.
It’s gotten so bad that the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has since labelled the monkey mayhem at Segar Road a “public safety risk”. It kinda had to, really, especially since it has received about 160 reports of harassments by monkeys since last October.
Liang Eng Hwa — Member of Parliament for the Holland-Bukit Panjang Group Representation Constituency — has assured the public that he’s taking steps to solve the problem of the lone rogue monkey wreaking havoc in his district.
The worst case transpired yesterday morning, when a monkey attacked 77-year-old retiree Tan Kim Leng at Block 472 along Segar Road. It was a bloody blitz that left him warded in Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. Tan, who spends his mornings at the void deck beneath the block, now requires surgery for his injuries sustained from being bitten, The New Paper reports.
According to the MP, the attack was most likely carried out by a small monkey that has remained elusive since 2016. Last November, the AVA and Town Council managed to catch its companion following several reports of two monkeys breaking into homes.
Amidst enhanced measures to catch the terrorizing ape, Liang advised residents not to feed and provoke the monkey. “We will remove this remaining monkey from the estate soonest possible,” he wrote.
Aggro apes
It seems like residents have long endured marauding monkeys in their neighborhood, especially the blocks located close to Zhenghua Nature Park, which acts as a buffer for the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
Monkeys have been breaking into homes, wrecking potted plants, stealing fruits, scratching children at the playground, and biting people for the past couple of months.
“Catching the monkeys can be challenging as they are very nimble,” said the AVA. “The many high-rise buildings in the area also make it easy for the monkeys to be out of reach by climbing up the blocks.”
