Baby succumbs to monkey attack in Riau

Rizal Harahap, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru | Archipelago | Sun, March 31 2013, 7:34 PM

Local residents in Menaming village, Rokan Hulu regency, Riau province, are now in mourning after a 7-month-old baby died after being bitten by a monkey. The monkey attacked while the toddler was sleeping in her cradle.

No one was watching the baby, Upik Lubis, daughter to Parmohonan Lubis, 23, and Ayu Daulay, 20, who live in Tj.Godang hamlet, Menaming village, when the incident occurred on Thursday.

Her mother, Ayu, was washing clothes in a nearby irrigation ditch when the stray monkey entered their house. While she was away, Ayu had entrusted her daughter to Santi, the baby’s grandmother who run a small coffee shop in front of their house.

Santi immediately ran into the house when she heard a loud crash, but only saw her granddaughter who had fallen from her cot. Her head was bleeding, however, having being bitten by a short-tailed monkey, known locally as a Boruk Tungga.

Upik was rushed to Pasir Pangaraian Regional Hospital but she died after receiving intensive treatment.

“According to health workers, she suffered serious wounds to her skull caused by the monkey’s biting and clawing at her,” said Yusrizal, one of the family’s neighbors.

In January, seven people were injured when a group of wild monkeys attacked residents of Toddang Pulu in Sidenreng Rappang, South Sulawesi.

The monkeys, which, according to witnesses numbered at least 10, reportedly came from Toddang Lowa forest, about 7 kilometers from the village.

Sidenreng Rappang regency spokesman Ambo Ella denied that the animals had been forced out of the forest after their natural habitat was destroyed by local residents.

The To Lotang indigenous people still used the forest to hold their rituals, he said. (asw/ebf)