TACLOBAN CITY – A farmer from Maripipi town in Biliran province was attacked by a monkey.
Police Lieutenant Junriel Rosario, in a mobile phone interview, identified the farmer as Jeffrey Rosario, 34, single and a resident of Barangay Olog of said island town.
Police Investigation showed that Rosario caught the monkey harvesting his plants when he visited his farm on July 6, the monkey was eating his crops.
The farmer tried to drive away the beast but instead of running, it instead attacked him.
The two engaged in a brawl which resulted for Rosario to sustained bites and scratches on his body. He was later brought to the Rural Health Unit.
Maripipi Mayor Joseph Caingcoy said that there have been complaints from the farmers in his town regarding monkeys harvesting the plants in their farms.
The mayor expressed surprise on the incident saying that this is the first time in his municipality wherein the monkey attacked a human being.
Mayor Caingcoy theorized that the monkeys are becoming aggressive and harvest the plants of the farmers because they are deprived with their sources of food.
He explained that with the forest clearings done by farmers for food production resulting in environmental destruction and the devastation of the wildlife habitat including the sources of food for the animals in the forests.
The monkeys deprived of their daily sustenance and are hungry due to the forest destruction, venture into the farms to look for food.
(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)
