Pattaya Daily News

Published : June 20, 2010 :: 16:06:17 [ 3,902 views ]

A British woman holidaying in Thailand has been attacked by a pack of macaque monkeys whilst on a tour to confront her fears of the playful primates.

Thailand, the 19^th of June 2010 [PDN]: British national Dee Darwell [56] from Peterborough lost consciousness and received several bites from a group of macaques whilst on a tour of Phi Phi Don Island off the coast of Phuket last week.

Known as ‘Monkey Island,’ Mrs. Darwell had been on a tour in an attempt to confront her fear of primates when she was attacked. According to Mrs. Darwell she had decided to rest in the shade of a tree whilst on the Island when several monkeys approached and subsequently attacked her.

Losing consciousness, one of the tour guide operators rescued her from the attack of which Mrs. Darwell has very little recollection after allegedly going into shock. “The monkey took my wrist and pounced on my right arm, sinking his teeth in and hung off it. He wouldn’t let go; he was locked on. I was absolutely petrified. I thought, this is it, I’m going to die, I’m going to be savaged by these monkeys – then I went into shock,” recalled Mrs. Darwell.

Mrs. Darwell stated that she had always had a fear of primates as a result of her father bringing up a chimpanzee which she described as “positively evil.” Apparently she had joined a friend on the tour in an attempt to confront her fears. Whilst in the Bangkok-Phuket Hospital she explained that she would not have left the boat had she known the monkeys could be dangerous in the slightest.

Thai tour guide, Mr. Yongyut Buasod stated to the Daily Telegraph: “We can’t control the monkeys if they decide to bite someone, that’s why we always warn the tourists. That day some people were teasing the monkeys. They don’t necessarily attack the specific person teasing them.”

Macaque ‘crab-eating’ monkeys are widely used in medical testing, particularly neuroscience, whilst they are just one species of primate that have been used in space flight experiments. They are known carriers of the Ebola virus, monkeypox and most prominently the Hepatitis B-virus which is potentially deadly if contracted by humans.

Quotes Attained From: www.telegraph.co.uk

Related items

• British Kickboxer Wanted Over US Marine Stabbing Murder
• Convicted British Paedophile Lines Up Thai Marriage
• Technical Issues Hamper Andaman Tsunami Drills
• British Paedophile & Scam Artist Arrested in Bangkok
• Unrepentant Foreign Red Shirts Shout Claims of Grave Injustice

Advertise

 Print This News




Type : Thailand News
Story : John Weston
Photo : Internet

Extensive Gallery [ 2 photos ]

• 
•