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A large monkey has leapt on a Melbourne woman during her visit to Bali, biting her on the neck and leaving her shocked, injured and having to pay out a lot of money.

Britain’s Sun newspaper online gave details of the attack, saying the woman, Patrizia Accoglienza, 42, was visiting Ubud Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary when the monkey suddenly attacked.

The report said Accoglienza had been left with AUD 8000 in medical bills, having to undergo emergency treatment as a precaution against rabies.

According to the Sun, Accoglienza is professional photographer who was on her first trip to Bali and was photographing a monkey – when another one decided to attack.

The Monkey Forest lies within the village of Padangtegal, which owns it. The attraction’s website says village residents view the Monkey Forest as “an important spiritual, economic, educational, and conservation centre for the village”. Some 700 monkeys live there, along with 186 species of trees and three ancient Hindu temples.

Balinese long-tailed monkey (Macaca fascicularis) baring its teeth

The species involved is the Balinese long-tailed monkey (Macaca fascicularis), also known as the long-tailed macaque and the crab-eating macaque.

The Sun report made no mention of travel insurance, which in most cases would cover a traveller in such an eventuality.

Above: In more contemplative mood

Accoglienza is reported to have rushed to the forest’s first aid centre, where she was shown a certificate confirming that none of the park’s monkeys had rabies or any other disease.

On seeing that the bites had pierced the skin, however, Accoglienza decided to get all the recommended injections just to be safe. The treatment didn’t come cheap.

Visitors feeding monkeys in Bali’s Monkey Forest

 

Told that the course of injections would cost over AUD 8000, Accoglienza paid up “because nothing is more important than your health”.

Meanwhile, she has decided not to visit any more monkey reserves.

Written by Peter Needham