Monkey in S’pore Zoo steals bananas from stroller, eats them in front of its victims

Monkey in Singapore Zoo steals bananas from visitor, drags her stroller

A visitor to the Singapore Zoo recently got her bananas stolen by a monkey.

Miss Hu (transliterated), a real estate agent currently living in Singapore, posted the incident video on 24 Dec 2024.

She had visited the Mandai Wildlife Reserve with her child and domestic helper.

During the trip, however, a macaque took interest in a small bag hung onto their stroller.

It cleverly unzipped the bag in one smooth motion and ‘robbed’ the visitors of two bananas kept inside.

“Ma’am, they know how to open bags!” The helper exclaimed while laughing.

With bananas in tow, the monkey made its speedy escape to about two metres away, where it promptly sat down to enjoy the fruits of its ‘labour’.

“Don’t take my bananas!” Miss Hu told the thief.

The unperturbed monkey peeled the first banana and began devouring it right in front of the victims of its theft.

“Is it tasty?” She asked as the primate ate. Miss Hu then noticed the number ‘240’ marked on the monkey’s abdomen.

As such, she briefly wondered if the monkey belonged to the Singapore Zoo.

Monkey attempts second ‘robbery’ on visitors

“You’re really fat, do you often do naughty things? Do you often steal food?” Miss Hu began teasing the monkey as it started on the second banana.

The monkey proceeded to turn its back to her as if ignoring her questions.

When she moved to face it, the snacking monkey gave her an annoyed glance.

While it worked on finishing its meal, Miss Hu instructed her helper to move away as the stroller contained more food.

Before she could even finish her sentence, the monkey ran over for a second raid.

It grabbed ahold of the bag and pulled the stroller with it. However, the helper managed to move away quickly.

With its heist failed, the mischievous monkey clambered onto an information board displaying rhinos while Miss Hu bid it farewell.

Monkey did not show signs of aggression

Miss Hu told Shin Min Daily News that they did not have any exposed food when they encountered the monkey.

It allegedly just walked up and immediately started rummaging through their stuff.

She believed the monkey had done such things before, but she did not feel alarmed at the time as the animal did not display any signs of aggression.

Miss Hu also said she would not stop going to the Singapore Zoo because of the incident.

Keep calm & maintain distance from wild macaques

In response to MS News queries, a Mandai Wildlife Group spokesperson stated that wild macaques are native to Singapore and live in the forests surrounding the Mandai Wildlife Reserve.

The spokesperson added that the parks in the reserve are home to many species of local wildlife which enrich the visiting experience.

Mandai Wildlife Group deploys trained wildlife rangers who act as guides across the parks.

Signage is also placed around the parks to inform the public on what to do when encountering the monkeys.

Guests should keep calm, maintain a distance from the wild macaques, and not use flash photography.

They should avoid making eye contact, chasing, touching, or cornering the macaques.

Mandai Wildlife Group also instructs guests to keep food items packed in a bag instead of carried in plastic bags.

Lastly, guests should throw all food waste into the monkey-proof bins around the parks.

Also read: Monkey steals potato chips from 6th-floor apartment near Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

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Featured image adapted from Miss Hu on Xiaohongshu.