Stray monkey runs riot in Hanoi neighborhood

The monkey happily accepted a banana from a resident. Photo courtesy of Phuc Tan residents

A stray monkey has been hanging around a neighborhood in Hanoi's Hoan Kiem District since February 21 and annoying locals.

The monkey has been living up on the rooftops in the Phuc Tan area and making regular trips down to search for food.

“The monkey is fearless. It keeps coming into our home to rummage through cooking pots, eating fruit from the altar and breaking vases and glasses,” said one resident.

Another local said that the animal had broken into her garden to catch chickens and steal their eggs, before messing with her neighbor’s tomato plants, tormenting dogs and carrying a dead cat up to the roof.

The monkey has been pestering Phuc Tan residents for two weeks. Photo by VnExpress/Manh Cuong

The problem has led to safety concerns, especially for children.

“If this persists, we will have to trap it or find a way to kill it,” said another resident.

People are appealing for help. “We have asked authorities to catch the monkey,” said Trieu Van Son, the head of a local civic group.

The local People’s Committee has responded by sending an inspector to the neighborhood to look at the situation.