The Bukit Timah Monkey Man
In Singapore's last big patch of rainforest, people describe a grey, hairy figure, part monkey and part man.
What was reported
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, around Singapore's highest hill, is one of the island's last areas of old rainforest. People have long told of a grey-haired creature, between a monkey and a man, walking upright among the trees.
Sightings were reported in local newspapers in the 1990s and 2000s, and the Monkey Man has become a fixture of Singapore's urban folklore.
Explanations offered
The reserve is home to long-tailed macaques, which are common and can stand upright for short spells, and sightings may be of these, or of people seen in poor light. The forest is far too small to support a population of unknown apes. There's no evidence beyond the stories.
- When
- Reported over many decades
- Where
- Bukit Timah, Singapore
- Witnesses
- Walkers, soldiers and residents
- Status
- Unconfirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.