A monkey caused significant disruption to train services during rush hour in Hong Kong on Thursday morning by wandering onto the tracks close to a bustling MTR station.
The MTR Corporation, the city’s rail operator, reported that the animal made its way onto the tracks near Kowloon Bay station, leading to trains on the Kwun Tong line operating at slower speeds.
While train frequency was unaffected, overall journey times increased by five to eight minutes. Passengers were advised to allow extra travel time.
Police said they received a report at 6.45am and later confirmed the animal was a monkey. It was also spotted on the Kwun Tong-bound platform at the station.
At 7.35am, the MTR Corp said the incident had ended after the monkey left on its own, with services gradually returning to normal.
According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, there are about 2,000 to 2,100 monkeys in Hong Kong. They can mostly be found in Kam Shan, Lion Rock, Shing Mun and the nearby country parks.
Juha Merilae, a chair professor in ecology and biodiversity at the University of Hong Kong, said it was not common to see monkeys in Kowloon Bay, but it was not surprising.
“Animals are curious by their nature, and perhaps it was trying to find a food source and got trapped in the tracks,” he said.
Merilae added that Kowloon Bay was close to the forested area where Wilson Trail passes, and suggested the monkey could have come from that area.
It is not the first time animals have disrupted Hong Kong’s rail network.
In February, a wild boar entered Wu Kai Sha station and injured five people before being put down by authorities.
In a similar incident in 2016, a stray dog entered a section of the East Rail line between Hung Hom and Mong Kok East during the morning rush hour.
Trains ran at reduced speeds for 55 minutes, with large crowds of passengers building up at Tai Wai station, a major stop on the line.
