A man and his 12-year-old son required hospital treatment after being attacked by a troop of monkeys at a nature reserve.
The two were hiking in the Lu Mountain area of Xichang, Sichuan province, last week when a young monkey snatched the boy's bubble-making toy after he dropped it on the ground.
As the animal made for the trees the boy climbed up after it, only to be confronted by a group of riled primates intent on defending their associate and newly acquired booty.
As the monkeys attacked with claws and teeth, the boy fell from the tree, his face and arms bloodied and bruised, the report said.
When the father, identified only by his surname Li, went to his son's aid he too was attacked and sustained injuries to his arms and feet, the report said.
"It was so frightening," the father was quoted as saying. "The monkeys were scratching and biting us."
The angry troop dispersed only after a security guard came to the rescue, the report said, adding that both Li and his son required hospital treatment for their wounds.
More than 100 people a year are victims of monkey attacks at Lu Mountain, the report said.
Just this month, a 65-year-old Chinese visitor to the nature reserve died after falling down a flight of stairs while being chased by three monkeys.
In a bid to reduce the number of dangerous encounters, local authorities have recruited more security guards and put up posters warning tourists not to feed or play with the monkeys, the report said.
A man and his 12-year-old son required hospital treatment after being attacked by a troop of monkeys at a nature reserve.
