KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 8 ― The clip of a secondary schoolboy in Singapore negotiating with two monkeys after the primates snatched his school bag has been making the rounds on social media.
The incident took place in Jurong West outside a school compound and was originally posted on TikTok.
The clip begins with the boy begging two macaques to return his belongings, in particular, his file and project for school but received a screeching response from a very aggressive monkey that proceeded to chase him.
Known for their prickly demeanour, macaques in urban areas have an affinity for bags, especially plastic bags and handbags, which they associate with food.
The boy’s attempts to stop the monkeys from ransacking his bag proved to be futile and he decided to offer the primates his can of soft drink in exchange for his bag.
“Okay please, I make you a deal. The can of Coke is yours,” he can be heard saying in the clip.
But the macaques weren’t interested in the carbonated drink, leaving the boy with no choice but to continue pleading.
“I just want my stuff. These are all my school stuff.
“I beg you. Please, please. Give me back,” he said.
It took the exasperated student four attempts to reclaim his belongings.
He was finally able to do so when the monkeys walked away and climbed up a tree, leaving his bag and school project unattended for a short moment.
Although it was a stressful situation for the boy to endure, social media users were amused by the student’s comedic attempts to pacify the macaques.
Many found it hilarious that the boy spoke English to the wild animals while others joked that he could tell his teachers that monkeys stole his homework.
Some chimed in to say that no one would have believed the boy if the incident had not been captured on TikTok.
The clip received 3,700 reactions, over 900 comments and 384,000 views on Facebook.
