A female hiker suffered multiple injuries and had to be rescued by firefighters yesterday after she was attacked by monkeys and fell into a ravine at a mountain park in Kaohsiung.
The incident occurred at about 8:30am in Shoushan National Nature Park (壽山國家自然公園). The park is known for its scenery and views of the city’s harbor, as well as its large number of resident Formosan rock macaques.
Hsu Ya-ju (許亞儒), director of the park’s management office, said the 47-year-old woman, surnamed Huang (黃), was hiking with a friend and stopped to rest on a rock outcrop.
When Huang opened up her backpack, several monkeys jumped on her, Hsu said.
Huang got up quickly, but the monkeys continued to grab at the backpack and its straps, and she lost her balance and fell 10m into a ravine, a witness said.
The Kaohsiung Fire Department dispatched a team of a dozen rescuers to the park. It took them more than one hour to get through thick overgrowth and place the woman on a stretcher to carry her out.
The woman was conscious, but had suffered a broken leg, as well as cuts and bruises to her face, neck and hands, Hsu said.
She was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Hsu warned hikers that the monkeys in the area are attracted by the food items and plastic bags of tourists.
“The monkeys can be dangerous. People have even had to be hospitalized due to bites. We always tell hikers to be aware of their surroundings, conceal their food and never feed the monkeys,” he said.
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