An adult long-tailed macaque has been captured in Indonesia after a two-week rampage in the town of Tembilahan left 18 residents injured.
The monkey reportedly attacked its victims by biting and scratching them, with most incidents occurring when people were alone. Children and elderly residents were among those injured.
Tembilahan Fire and Rescue Service chief Junaidy Ismail said on Friday that 19 attacks had been reported, involving 18 victims, with one person attacked twice.
Some of those injured required more than a dozen stitches and were administered anti-rabies injections.
The animal was captured late Thursday after being caught in a trap set up in the town. A video released by the rescue service on Friday showed the monkey alive inside a cage and appearing distressed.
Town official Ari Syuria urged residents to remain vigilant, warning that other monkeys could potentially be involved in attacks.
Authorities kept 40 schools closed on Friday and ordered three days of online classes for hundreds of students in Tembilahan. The schools are expected to reopen on Monday if officials determine that the situation is safe.
The macaque has been transferred to Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province on Sumatra, where the local nature conservation agency will conduct blood tests and monitor its behaviour.
Agency official Ujang Holisudin said the tests would determine whether the animal was carrying any diseases.
Human-wildlife conflicts are relatively common across Indonesia, particularly in areas where rainforest is cleared for palm oil plantations. The loss of natural habitat has increasingly brought animals, including monkeys, elephants and tigers, into closer contact with human settlements.
