'Forced to stay for a month': Chinese tourist gets bitten by dog at Penang durian plantation, upset at lack of compensation

A Chinese tourist had paid for a durian buffet at a plantation in Penang, but before she could even take a single bite, she was bitten by a dog instead.

Peng Huiyue, 32, told China Press that she had signed up for the self-service buffet, which cost RM40 (S$11.50) per person, after seeing an advertisement on Xiaohongshu on June 20.

The Liaoning native said she arrived at the pickup location with another female traveller at 2pm that day. They were then driven to the orchard by the owner.

Just as Peng was about to wash her hands and dig into the durian, a dog ran towards her and bit into her thigh, ripping her clothes in the process, she said in a post on Xiaohongshu.

The plantation owner then took Peng to a nearby clinic, where she was given a dose of the rabies vaccine. However, she was told she had to stay in Penang to complete the full course of five vaccines over one month.

Upon hearing this, she asked that the orchard owner reimburse the additional accommodation costs she would incur, which came up to RM50 a day.

"But he said he could only pay for the rabies vaccination," Peng told China Press. "What upset me even more is that he cited this example, 'If a customer gets hit by a falling durian, do I have to compensate too?'"

Lodged police report

When both sides could not come to an agreement, they headed to the police station, where Peng filed a report. She demanded that the orchard owner pay her RM3,000 for her medical and accommodation expenses, as well as her torn clothing that she claimed was newly bought.

However, he was only willing to pay half that amount, which would cover the RM280 vaccination cost and part of her accommodation expenses .

Peng claimed the owner had told her that the dog belonged to him and had been vaccinated. He even showed her photos and videos of the canine on an IV drip, she wrote in her post.

However, he allegedly changed his tune at the police station and claimed the dog was a stray. It was later confirmed by the police that the dog was indeed a stray, reported China Press.

Peng also approached the Chinese Consulate General in Penang for assistance, but said she was told that the police would have to complete their investigation before it could follow up on the matter.

Travel plans disrupted

Peng told the China Press that she was frustrated that the incident had put dent in her travel plans.

This is her fifth trip to Malaysia and her third to Penang. On her current trip, Peng had been travelling across Malaysia, starting from Johor Bahru on May 28 and passing through Malacca and Kuala Lumpur before arriving in Penang.

If not for the incident, she would have already have made her way to Langkawi and Cameron Highlands before returning to China, she said.

''I just wanted to eat durian, but ended up (getting bitten by a dog),'' she said in her post. ''My new clothes were torn, I'm suffering pain from my injuries and worrying about getting rabies. I have to change my travel plans and am forced to stay here for a month.''

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com