Tourists in Bali are urged to avoid interacting with the wild and semi-wild monkeys at popular locations such as the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud, the Sangeh Monkey Forest, and Uluwatu Temple. 

Recent online footage highlights the monkeys’ intelligence, with one monkey seen tearing up a tourist’s passport that it had stolen from her bag at the Sacred Monkey Forest.

In the startling video released online, the woman attempts to approach the monkey to take her passport back, but the primate swipes at her. Despite her efforts to retrieve her torn apart document, she is forced to reluctantly accept the fate of her now torn passport.

Despite warnings and guidelines at these locations, tourists continue to be at risk of having their valuables damaged or stolen by the monkeys.

Bali primates have developed a street-smart approach. Monkeys have smartly learned to stay calm and quiet allowing them to seize opportunities to grab food or high-value items.

They know that they can get food as a bribe to give back the things they’ve stolen.

In order to safety of their belongings, authorities advise tourists to appreciate Bali’s wild monkeys from a distance and take simple precautions, such as securing valuable items in their accommodation’s safes, ensuring bags are properly zipped up, and refraining from carrying food into areas inhabited by monkeys.

Monkey-related claims amounting to over £8,000 have been reported, covering thefts and bites, according to Southern Cross Travel Insurance, a specialist provider of policies for Australian tourists in Bali.

Despite the routine vaccination of monkeys at the Sacred Monkey Forest against rabies, travelers are advised to ensure all their travel vaccinations, including rabies, are up to date before embarking on a trip to Indonesia.

In case of a bite or scratch from a monkey, dog, bat, or any potentially rabies-carrying creature, tourists are strongly urged to adhere to the World Health Organization’s guidelines on rabies and promptly seek immediate medical attention, irrespective of whether the skin has been broken.

This precautionary measure is crucial due to the potentially deadly consequences associated with rabies.