Mountain monkeys wreak havoc on the streets of Vung Tau.

On July 16th, residents in the Bai Truoc beach area and some areas along Ha Long Street (Vung Tau City) discovered many wild monkeys roaming the streets. Concerned that this situation could endanger the wild monkey population, the city authorities issued a directive to use food to lure the monkeys back to the mountains.

However, on July 17th, the monkeys returned to the streets, this time in even larger numbers than before. The troop consisted of about 20 monkeys, with the largest weighing around 15 kg and the smallest around 5-6 kg. Not only did they roam the streets, but they also caused chaos in the residential areas of Vung Tau City. They even ventured to the back beach area and up to the Chi Linh urban area, more than ten kilometers away from the mountains. While the monkeys' presence in the city might be a unique sight, it has caused anxiety among residents in the area.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy (45 years old, Ward 2, Vung Tau City) said that early in the morning, a troop of monkeys appeared in the residential area. They climbed everywhere, many jumped into people's houses, climbed trees, climbed onto roofs, and even sneaked into houses with open doors to steal food. Seeing them causing trouble, people just stood far away and watched, not daring to chase them away for fear of being attacked.

“The ward's civil defense force was mobilized to chase the monkeys away and lure them back up the mountain. However, whenever they see people, they climb up trees and utility poles, and they won't leave no matter how hard we try to drive them away. These animals are close to humans but very aggressive. Although they haven't attacked anyone yet, their presence in residential areas is worrying,” Ms. Thuy said.

According to the leaders of the Vung Tau City People's Committee, the monkeys coming down from the mountains and appearing on the streets of Vung Tau is unprecedented. They explained that the monkeys' presence in the city streets could be due to hunger. Over the past few days, Vung Tau City has been under social distancing measures according to Directive 16, meaning there are no longer people walking, climbing mountains, or feeding the monkeys as usual, so the monkeys are starving.

According to the representative of the head of the Vung Tau - Phu My Forest Protection Department, it is currently impossible to count the number of monkeys in the mountainous areas of Vung Tau City. The increasing number of monkeys appearing on the streets and causing disturbances in residential areas is a cause for concern. The forest protection department, along with local authorities, is currently developing a plan to drive the monkeys back to the mountains.

Bo Di