Bali Man Dies From Monkey Attack

A 69-year-old resident of Nongan village in Karangasem, Bali, died on Monday after a group of monkeys thought to have rabies attacked him, the head of the local health agency said.

Nyoman Gunung was found dead on the side of a river not far from his home in Nongan on Monday, said Karangasem health agency chief Gusti Made Tirtayana. His body was covered in gashes and bite marks.

“His blood vessels were slashed, and he died of blood loss,” Tirtayana said.

Monkeys are a common sight in Nongan, Tirtayana said. The ones that killed Nyoman probably had rabies, he added.

Nongan resident Wayan Astaguna said monkeys had attacked a villager once before, but the villager had managed to escape and survive.

Monkeys in Nongan also attacked a dog once, Wayan said, and the dog had to be killed after it showed signs of contracting rabies.

“We are worried that other people will become victims [of other monkey attacks],” Wayan said.

Tirtayana said officers from his agency and some police personnel had been dispatched to the village to secure it from other monkey attacks.

“And we’re trying to catch some of them to confirm whether or not they have rabies,” he said.

Since 2008 Bali has reported a number of rabies outbreaks. In January local authorities lifted a health alert on the disease.

The Bali health agency said 26 people died of rabies last year, a significant decline from the 83 deaths in 2010.