A US Navy sailor, who was set for minesweeping duties in the Strait of Hormuz, was attacked by a monkey while ashore in Thailand and had to be left behind, officials said.
The Navy electronics technician, who was not publicly named, was en route to the Middle East aboard the USS Chief minesweeper vessel when he was scratched by a monkey during a stopover in the Thai city of Phuket, Axios reported.
A sailor aboard the USS Chief had to stay behind in Japan following a monkey attack in Thailand as the ship was heading to the Strait of Hormuz. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Tristin Barth “Weird stuff happens. This was definitely an unknown unknown,” a military official told the outlet.
Thailand is known for having mischievous macaques who go around the nation’s cities stealing food and items from bystanders, with some of the incidents even turning violent.
The sinister simians made headlines in 2024 after 2,500 of them descended on the popular tourist town of Lopburi, where officials struggled to get the monkeys back in line.
Encounters with macaques can be dangerous as the primates can carry the Herpes B virus, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning people to seek medical care immediately if they are attacked by the monkeys.
Thailand is known to have roaming macaques, which serve as both a tourist attraction and a source of trouble. Anadolu via Getty Images While the sailor’s injuries were not severe, he was evacuated to the Chief’s base in Sasebo, Japan, to get proper attention, officials said.
The strange incident, however, did not affect the Chief’s journey to the Strait of Hormuz, where the vessel, along with the USS Pioneer, are tasked with clearing the waterway of Iranian mines.
Iran has littered the strait, a key oil chokepoint, with its dangerous mines, which has shut down traffic and kept hundreds of ships stuck in the Persian Gulf.
President Trump has said on Thursday that the US, which is holding its own blockade of Iranian ports, is ramping up its efforts to clear the Strait of Hormuz to help alleviate soaring oil prices caused by the war.
“Our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now,” Trump said. “I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled-up level!”
