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Monkeys are commonly perceived as cute and harmless creatures, incapable of causing any harm. However, for those who have worked closely with them or encountered them in the wild, they know that these seemingly innocent animals can be dangerous, even deadly.
Although small, monkeys have been responsible for a surprising number of fatalities over the years. In countries like India, monkey attacks are unfortunately a frequent occurrence. These ten instances highlight the most deadly and terrifying actions of these furry creatures.
10. Man Killed by Monkeys in India Using Bricks
In October 2018, Dharampal Singh was gathering firewood in Tikri, Uttar Pradesh, India, when an extraordinary event occurred. A group of monkeys began hurling bricks at him from above. The bricks, which the monkeys had gathered from nearby crumbling buildings, struck him in the legs, chest, and head. According to his brother, 'Monkeys threw more than 20 bricks at Dharampal on Thursday.' With the bricks coming from a height, Dharampal had no way to defend himself.
A 72-year-old man lost his life after being attacked by rogue monkeys. His family lodged a complaint at Doghat police station in Uttar Pradesh, but the authorities dismissed it, with one officer even stating, 'How can we register the case against monkeys? This will make us a laughing stock.' The monkeys in this village are notorious for their aggression, and multiple complaints have been filed over the years. Unfortunately, bringing these animals to justice is nearly impossible, and they continue to terrorize the local residents.
9. Monkeys Forced a Woman to Fall from a Roof in India
In January 2020, a 45-year-old woman named Jayanti Swain was hanging clothes on her roof when a monkey appeared, causing her to panic. In her frantic attempt to escape, she accidentally ran off the edge of the roof, falling to her death. Her family discovered her lifeless body when they rushed outside after hearing her screams. She was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
This tragic incident took place in Jajpur district, Odisha, on India’s eastern coast, an area that has long struggled with monkey-related violence. The local monkey population has been causing havoc, destroying crops and attacking people. While most of these incidents don't lead to fatalities, they are common in other parts of India. In response, the police in northern India have resorted to using slingshots to scare away the monkeys, and sterilization programs have been introduced to try and control the growing monkey population.
8. Pet Monkey Kills Its Owner in Malaysia
In certain regions, monkeys are trained to gather coconuts because of their impressive skill in climbing trees and tossing the coconuts down. A monkey can accomplish what would take ten men, so it's no surprise that Ngah Muhammad in Malaysia tried to teach his pet monkey to do the same. However, the training went awry, and instead of climbing the tree to fetch a coconut, the monkey attacked its owner, biting him multiple times, including on his wrist.
Sadly, the bite on his wrist was fatal, as it severed a major artery, causing the 72-year-old man to bleed to death. His son, Mohd Zakaria Ngah, rushed to the coconut grove to check on him, finding his father unconscious on the ground. When he approached, the monkey attacked him as well, biting him viciously on the neck. His scream drew the attention of nearby neighbors, who chased the monkey off into the jungle. The Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National Parks later found and tranquilized the monkey, which was likely euthanized due to its aggressive actions.
7. A Monkey’s Nine-Day Rampage in India Leaves One Dead and Nine Injured
In May 2019, a rogue monkey went on a nine-day rampage in a central Indian village, killing one man and injuring nine others. The monkey attacked anyone it came across, biting them. The first victim was a 15-year-old boy who survived the attack, though he was bitten. A 60-year-old man, Nathuram, was not so fortunate and died from the monkey's bite.
The string of attacks sparked protests, as wild monkey encounters were not uncommon in central India. Villagers blocked a major highway, placing Nathuram's body in protest, leading to a significant traffic jam. The Times of India reported that local hospitals lacked anti-rabies vaccines, which intensified the locals' frustrations. After the protest, police promised to address their concerns, and a team successfully located the monkey within three hours of the final attack.
6. Monkeys Killed The Deputy Mayor Of New Delhi, India
Typically, when rogue monkeys attack in India, it's in a small village where residents have little means of protection. However, for Surinder Singh Bajwa, the Deputy Mayor of New Delhi, his tragic encounter with rogue Rhesus macaques occurred at his own home. While reading a newspaper on his balcony in East Delhi, Bajwa was suddenly attacked by a group of three or four monkeys. A neighbor recalled, 'The monkeys came all of a sudden. Bajwaji tried to shoo them away, but in doing so, he lost his balance and fell off the terrace.'
Bajwa was quickly taken to the hospital to treat a head injury he sustained in the fall, but sadly, he passed away from his injuries in October 2007. Rhesus macaques frequently invade government buildings in New Delhi, not just isolated villages. While these monkeys usually frighten people but don’t attack, there are rare exceptions. To combat the problem, authorities have deployed larger, more aggressive langur monkeys to chase the Rhesus macaques away, but the issue persists.
5. A Child Was Snatched and Killed by a Monkey in India
Monkey attacks in India are unfortunately not as rare as people would hope, though fatalities are uncommon. Typically, when a death occurs, it’s from a bite or a thrown object, and often involves an elderly person. However, in November 2018, a tragic incident occurred when a 12-day-old baby named Arush became the victim of a monkey attack while his mother was breastfeeding him. A pack of wild monkeys ambushed the family’s home on the outskirts of Agra, India, and one monkey grabbed the baby from his mother’s arms. The monkey seized the infant by the neck and dragged him away before his mother could react.
Yogesh, the father of the child, shared with local media, 'The front door was left open, and my wife was breastfeeding the baby when a monkey suddenly ran into the house.' The parents desperately searched for their infant and tragically found him on a neighbor’s roof, where the monkey had left him. The child was bleeding and unresponsive, so the parents rushed him to the hospital, but he was declared dead. It was later revealed that the same monkey had attacked a sleeping 14-year-old girl just 15 minutes before attacking Arush.
4. A Woman Was Fatally Bitten by Monkeys in India
Only five days after baby Arush’s tragic death, a 58-year-old woman named Bhoomi Devi met a similar fate in Agra. Bhoomi had stepped outside to relieve herself when she was attacked by a group of monkeys. She was found covered in blood from multiple bites, and her family members said, 'She had lost so much blood that the doctors couldn’t save her.' This incident, occurring so soon after the infant’s death, prompted locals to organize marches and a meeting, where they demanded that monkeys be removed from the list of protected species under the Wildlife Act of 1972.
The city of Agra is home to around 25,000 wild monkeys. While typically a nuisance, the rise in violent monkey attacks has led to multiple deaths. In response, the locals called for action, passing a resolution that demanded compensation for the victims of monkey attacks, which have become so frequent that 'women and children are reluctant to move around freely.' Efforts were made to address the situation through relocation and sterilization programs.
3. A Monkey Killed a King in Greece
In 1920, the 27-year-old King Alexander of Greece fell victim to a monkey attack. The event occurred on October 2, 1919, when King Alexander took a walk with his dog, Fritz, in the private park of the Tatoi Estate near Athens. When a Barbary macaque attacked Fritz, the King rushed to protect his dog. While attempting to separate the two animals, another macaque approached from behind and bit the King on his leg and upper body. The macaque belonged to one of the palace workers.
The King received treatment for his wounds and initially believed the injuries weren’t serious, so he kept the incident quiet. However, the bites became infected, and although amputation could have saved him, the doctors were unwilling to take the risk. Tragically, the King died 23 days later. His death led to his father resuming the throne, which had unforeseen consequences, including the loss of the Greco-Turkish War. Winston Churchill famously remarked, 'It was a monkey bite that caused the death of those 250,000 people.'
2. A Senior Chinese Businessman Was Killed By A Monkey In China
In April 2016, Weng Mai, the 67-year-old former chairman of the Shanghai-based food company Guan Sheng Yuan Co. Ltd., became the victim of a monkey attack at Yuntai Mountain nature park in Henan, China. Weng was there for a photoshoot arranged by the Shanghai Yelv Travel Agency when a macaque either pushed or threw a rock over a ledge, striking him on the head. He was quickly taken to Xiuwu County People’s Hospital for medical attention.
Unfortunately, the head injury was fatal, and Weng died from the trauma. The incident brought attention to the potential dangers posed by monkeys in the park, though the travel agency maintained that it was an accident and not the fault of the monkey. Despite this, an investigation was conducted. The area was already known for falling rocks, as evidenced by the tragic 2015 incident when seven tourists were killed by a boulder at Caidie Mountain in Guilin, although that rock wasn’t pushed by a monkey like the one that caused Mr. Weng's death.
1. An Alcoholic Monkey Went On A Rampage In India
Kalua, a monkey from Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, India, was raised by an 'occultist' who fed him a peculiar diet, which included alcohol. It's believed that Kalua was trained to drink hard liquor and was also fed monkey meat, which turned him into a crazed alcoholic. After the death of his owner, Kalua was left without his usual alcohol supply, which led to severe withdrawal symptoms. The monkey’s aggression escalated, and he went on a violent spree, attacking 250 people in the streets.
Kalua particularly targeted women and children, biting them on their faces, and fled into the forests of Mirzapur. It took authorities a while to capture him. Once he was transported to the Kanpur Zoological Park, the zookeepers tried to rehabilitate him, but he refused to adapt. Kalua would only eat meat and rejected fruits and vegetables. In the end, he was placed in solitary confinement, where he will live for the remainder of his life, separated from other monkeys.
