Returning 'customer': Monkey swipes Musang King from Tampines fruit stall over 4 days

It's durian season, and it's not just humans who hanker after a taste of the king of fruits. 

Some Musang Kings at a fruit stall located at Tampines Street 11 have been swiped from the shelves by a wild monkey who seems to have a taken a liking to the pungent fruit. 

The fruit 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 [the monkey] couldn't reach them. I ended up luring it away with a banana." 

However, one banana wasn't enough for this discerning macaque, as it sneakily returned to the stall when Xiao Wei wasn't watching. 

This time, it managed to swipe a Musang King off the shelf. 

"The durian wasn't opened, the monkey carried the durian up 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 returned to the stall to help itself to even more durians, only picking the premium 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 a rather annoyed Xiao Wei. 

He shared that the fruit stall is open 24 hours a day, and the durians are displayed on the shelf. Hence, it's not difficult for a pesky monkey to nick one when the staff aren't watching. 

According to Xiao Wei, one Musang King costs about $50, and the fruit stall has lost about $200 to this returning 'customer' thus far.

Not only that, Xiao Wei also told 8world reporters that the monkey's antics have left him rather conflicted.

On one hand, he's aware that feeding monkeys is an offence, but he also knows that he cannot use violence against them. 

According to NParks, anyone caught feeding wildlife in Singapore can incur a maximum fine of up to $10,000. 

He said he has since informed the Tampines Town Council (TTC) and the National Environmental Agency about the issue, and also hopes that the monkey will not disturb his customers.  

AsiaOne has reached out to TTC for more information.  

In August 2020, another cheeky macaque heisted a bag of bread from a Sheng Siong outlet at Block 417 Fernvale Link. 

Brave as the monkey was, it wasn't exactly a smooth criminal as it was caught on camera by an eyewitness who uploaded the footage on Facebook. 

An unnamed Sheng Siong employee told Lianhe Wanbao then that monkeys have stolen bread from their store on about six occasions. 

Out in Hua Hin, Thailand, a wild elephant crashed into a store selling produce — after catching a whiff of durians. 

Using its tusks, the elephant knocked down the shop's iron gate and helped itself to some of the pungent fruits.

It didn't stop there — and even returned the same night, wolfing down more than 10 durians in total. 

ALSO READ: Stealing food from customers, destroying cutlery: Punggol shop owners wage war against macaques

claudiatan@asiaone.com