Post by pepper on Sept 28, 2007 12:34:11 GMT -5
A French tourist has been stripped of her clothes by a marauding orangutan - getting bitten in the process.
The woman became embroiled in a scuffle with the animal after it tried to steal her backpack.
When she put up a fight, the beast took her bag along with her shoes, socks and trousers.
The tourist, who would only be named as Odile, was taking pictures of the orangutan, named Delima, in a park in Malaysia's Semenggoh Wildlife Centre on the island of Borneo.
But the animal got bored of being photographed and tried to take the tourist's bag.
Park wardens said the two fought over the backpack for some time before the battle moved on to the woman's clothes.
"He took my shoes and socks off, and then tried to take off my trousers," said Odile.
"As he couldn't manage it with his hands only, he tried with his teeth - and that's when I got bitten.
"As soon as he got my trousers he went away."
Chief park warden Wilfred Landong said: "She had scratches and bruise marks on her knees and thighs."
The tourist said Delima searched her bag as though she was looking for something to eat.
She insisted she had not tormented or provoked the animal while taking its photograph.
Mr Landong said the park considered the incident "an accident".
"We are not faulting anyone," he said.
"But we remind tourists that they should not go too near the orangutans."
The woman became embroiled in a scuffle with the animal after it tried to steal her backpack.
When she put up a fight, the beast took her bag along with her shoes, socks and trousers.
The tourist, who would only be named as Odile, was taking pictures of the orangutan, named Delima, in a park in Malaysia's Semenggoh Wildlife Centre on the island of Borneo.
But the animal got bored of being photographed and tried to take the tourist's bag.
Park wardens said the two fought over the backpack for some time before the battle moved on to the woman's clothes.
"He took my shoes and socks off, and then tried to take off my trousers," said Odile.
"As he couldn't manage it with his hands only, he tried with his teeth - and that's when I got bitten.
"As soon as he got my trousers he went away."
Chief park warden Wilfred Landong said: "She had scratches and bruise marks on her knees and thighs."
The tourist said Delima searched her bag as though she was looking for something to eat.
She insisted she had not tormented or provoked the animal while taking its photograph.
Mr Landong said the park considered the incident "an accident".
"We are not faulting anyone," he said.
"But we remind tourists that they should not go too near the orangutans."
news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91059-1285681,00.html
