Durian-loving monkey keeps swiping Musang King from Tampines fruit stall
While durians are often cited as a fruit you either love or hate, one monkey has clearly made up its mind about it.
And it has come at a cost for a fruit stall in Tampines Street 11.
Over the past week, a pesky monkey has been swiping premium Musang King durians from the stall.
The stall assistant, identified as Xiao Wei, told 8world that he first spotted the macaque last Wednesday (Sept 14).
"At that point, it was trying to steal bananas, but they were on hooks so it couldn't reach them. I ended up luring it away with a banana."
But one banana was hardly enough, and the sneaky monkey returned when Xiao Wei wasn't watching. This time, it managed to swipe a Musang King off a shelf.
"The durian wasn't opened, the monkey carried it onto a roof, opened it, and ate it," said Xiao Wei, who added that he hadn't noticed the monkey's thievery until a customer pointed it out.
Over the next few days, the monkey kept returning to the stall, which is open 24 hours, to help itself to more durians – picking only the pricey Musang King ones.
"It always appears at about 7am to steal a durian, then it climbs up to the roof to enjoy it in front of everyone," said Xiao Wei.
According to him, one Musang King costs about $50, and the fruit stall has lost around $200 to this "returning customer".
He said he has since informed the Tampines Town Council and the National Environmental Agency about the issue.
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