Saudi Arabia Baboon War: Hungry Monkeys Raid Villagers' Homes

A "minor war" between baboon monkeys and villagers in Kiad, Saudi Arabia has broken out, local media reported Sunday.

Saudi Arabia Baboon War (Photo: Mirror)

According to the Arab News, residents are in daily war with a large troop of hungry baboon monkeys that are breaking into their homes in search of food and drink.

"It’s a daily game of hide and seek. The baboons are targeting empty houses and are well aware of what they are doing. The assault on the village is not random, as some believe. They proceed according to studied plans. That’s why their attacks do not fail. For example, imagine a resident who is absent from their home for a period of time. Even though it’s just one day, he is surprised to return to find his home in disarray. Some people in this situation thought that thieves had broken into and ransacked their houses … The problem is that the village’s houses are old and non-roofed, and our daily guest is hungry," Adel Medini of Helli town told the Arab News.

Many village residents are living in fear of a possible attack by baboons at any time. Thus, they have employed a variety of methods to cope with the attacks. At one point, they tried putting poison in bananas to exterminate the baboons but the primates "figured it out and stopped eating the poisonous bananas."

Baboons raiding residences for food have been attributed to urbanization and severe drought that led to the destruction of their natural habitat.