For every animal. For a shared future.A nonprofit initiative
PanduanHewanKENALI · PEDULI · LINDUNGI
IDNeed help?

Safety & help

Monkey in a Residential Area

Monkey in the house? Stay calm, keep your distance, do not feed or corner it, hide food, protect children, then call Damkar or the BKSDA.

PanduanHewan editorial teamUpdated Editorial standards
About this guideCompiled from the official sources listed and approved for publication by the editor (Kaiser Khan, 1 October 2026). This is not a review by a veterinarian or wildlife expert; in an emergency, follow the instructions of responders or health workers.
Put safety first. For urgent situations, contact appropriate medical, veterinary, or authorised responders. This page does not receive incident reports or dispatch help.

Key numbers and contacts

Numbers and addresses were checked on official sources when the guide was updated. PanduanHewan does not receive reports or dispatch help. BKSDA office list

Quick answer

Key points

  • Do not feed monkeys. The East Java conservation agency (BBKSDA Jatim) warns that fed monkeys may wait for food and even attack people carrying it.
  • Keep your distance, avoid direct eye contact and back away slowly. Do not run, chase or corner the monkey.
  • Protect children: in a 2025 conflict in Jember, four of the seven bite victims were children.
  • Monkeys can spread rabies. If bitten or scratched, wash the wound with soap and running water for 15 minutes, then go to a health facility at once.
In this guide (9)

Start with these steps

  1. Stay calm. Bring children and pets indoors or away.
  2. Do not stare, shout or run; back away slowly.
  3. Hide food and plastic bags. Do not give or throw food.
  4. If the monkey is indoors, leave a door or window to the outside open and leave the room. If safe, close doors to the rest of the house.
  5. Call Damkar (113, 112 or the local number) or the BKSDA. Say where, how many monkeys, how they behave and whether one wears a collar or chain.
  6. If anyone is bitten or scratched, wash the wound with soap and running water for 15 minutes, then go straight to a puskesmas or hospital.

What should I do if a monkey gets into my house?

Stay calm. Singapore's wildlife authority, NParks, which also deals with long-tailed macaques in housing areas, advises avoiding direct eye contact, which monkeys may take as a challenge; backing away slowly without running; hiding plastic bags; and never touching, chasing or cornering a monkey. If it is indoors, keep its way out open.

Do not try to catch it or force it out. The Depok fire and rescue service asks residents not to disturb or catch dangerous animals, just to watch them until the team arrives.

Evidence: NParks Animal & Veterinary Service — Macaques ↗ · Pemerintah Kota Depok — Damkar secures monkey that entered a home ↗

Why do monkeys come into houses?

Many people search for what a monkey in the house 'means'. The practical answer from the KSDAE conservation directorate: long-tailed macaques turn up in villages more often as their range shrinks, or when pets are released without proper procedure. NParks adds that monkeys are drawn to easy, high-calorie human food.

Feeding makes it worse. The head of BBKSDA Jatim warns that it habituates monkeys, so they wait for food and may attack people carrying it.

A monkey with a collar or chain is probably an escaped pet and can still bite. BBKSDA Jatim asks people not to keep wild animals or release them carelessly; owners can hand them to the BKSDA, as a Gresik resident did in 2026.

Evidence: Ditjen KSDAE — Long-tailed macaque evacuated by Damkar Bojonegoro (September 2025) ↗ · NParks Animal & Veterinary Service — Macaques ↗ · Ditjen KSDAE — Macaque–human conflict in Jember, seven injured (September 2025) ↗ · Ditjen KSDAE — Damkar Gresik and BBKSDA Jatim evacuate a monkey in Kebomas (February 2026) ↗

How do I protect children from wild monkeys?

In September 2025, BBKSDA Jatim recorded seven people bitten by one macaque in Klungkung, Jember, four of them children, usually attacked from behind. While a monkey is around, keep children indoors, do not let them carry food outside, and teach them not to approach, chase or feed monkeys.

Evidence: Ditjen KSDAE — Macaque–human conflict in Jember, seven injured (September 2025) ↗

What if a monkey bites or scratches someone?

Kemenkes names monkeys among the main rabies carriers and asks anyone bitten to wash the wound at once with soap and running water for 15 minutes, then get rabies vaccine at the nearest health facility as soon as possible.

Tell the health worker the wound came from a monkey. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that macaques can carry B virus; infection is extremely rare but can be severe without prompt treatment.

Evidence: Kemenkes Ditjen Kesehatan Lanjutan — Mengenal penyakit rabies ↗ · Kemenkes — Kemenkes urges stronger rabies prevention (2025) ↗ · CDC — About B virus ↗

Who should I call about a monkey in my neighbourhood?

Both Damkar and the BKSDA handle these cases. In September 2025 the Bojonegoro Damkar removed a macaque from a village and handed it to KSDA officers; in February 2026 the Gresik Damkar worked with a BBKSDA Jatim team. The Depok Damkar asks residents to call Damkar or 112. The national fire number is 113; BKSDA offices are listed on the BKSDA offices page.

Evidence: Ditjen KSDAE — Long-tailed macaque evacuated by Damkar Bojonegoro (September 2025) ↗ · Ditjen KSDAE — Damkar Gresik and BBKSDA Jatim evacuate a monkey in Kebomas (February 2026) ↗ · Pemerintah Kota Depok — Damkar secures monkey that entered a home ↗ · IndonesiaBaik.id (Komdigi) — Nomor telepon darurat saat kondisi gawat ↗

How can I stop monkeys coming back?

NParks advises fitting mesh or grilles on windows, closing windows and doors when monkeys are about or no one is home, storing food in opaque closed containers, knotting rubbish bags, securing bin lids and keeping the yard litter-free.

Evidence: NParks Animal & Veterinary Service — Macaques ↗

Sources & references

  1. Ditjen KSDAE — Macaque–human conflict in Jember, seven injured (September 2025) ↗
  2. Ditjen KSDAE — Long-tailed macaque evacuated by Damkar Bojonegoro (September 2025) ↗
  3. Ditjen KSDAE — Damkar Gresik and BBKSDA Jatim evacuate a monkey in Kebomas (February 2026) ↗
  4. Pemerintah Kota Depok — Damkar secures monkey that entered a home ↗
  5. NParks Animal & Veterinary Service — Macaques ↗
  6. Kemenkes Ditjen Kesehatan Lanjutan — Mengenal penyakit rabies ↗
  7. Kemenkes — Kemenkes urges stronger rabies prevention (2025) ↗
  8. CDC — About B virus ↗
  9. IndonesiaBaik.id (Komdigi) — Nomor telepon darurat saat kondisi gawat ↗
  10. Diskominfo Kabupaten Badung — Layanan panggilan darurat 112 ↗

References can change. Check dates and context in the original source.

Cite this page

PanduanHewan. (2026, 1 October). Monkey in a Residential Area. PanduanHewan.org. https://panduanhewan.org/en/emergency/monkey-in-settlement/