Hongkongers warned not to provoke wild monkeys after city records first human B virus case

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department issues warning after 37-year-old man becomes city’s first confirmed case of deadly B virus following monkey attack

Health expert says virus carried by wild monkeys is very rare and ‘can have serious health consequences that affect spinal nerves and central nervous system’

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Making eye contact or eating in front of a wild monkey can provoke them to attack, an official has warned. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 1:05pm, 5 Apr 2024Updated: 5:30pm, 5 Apr 2024

Hong Kong hikers should avoid provoking wild monkeys, such as by refraining from eating, holding plastic bags or making eye contact while in their company, a wildlife official has said, adding some residents’ interactions with the animals are “well-intentioned, but not very helpful”.

Shek Chung-tong, a senior fauna conservation officer with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, issued the warning two days after a 37-year-old man was confirmed as the city’s first human case of the deadly B virus following a monkey attack.

According to the Hospital Authority, the patient’s condition had improved from “critical” to “serious” as of Friday morning.

“When one visits parks where monkeys live, you must first and foremost not take anything out to eat,” Shek told a radio programme.

“You will also be better off not holding plastic bags and hiding your food in backpacks. They might mistake you for withholding food from them based on their past experience, and will try to snatch them off you.”

Shek said looking at the monkeys in the eye would provoke them, while approaching the animals could startle or irritate them, causing them to overreact.