Spider Monkey attack in Belize

[crusinpsychRN]

Just off the Miracle. We were returning to the port to get the tender (we were very late) and a man came running up to our van looking for Kelly's mother. I believe he was the leader of a large group, the Bob's. He asked that we follow him to the tender which we did in a big hurry, going in front of at least 125 people.

In a wheelchair waiting to get on the tender sat Kelly wrapped in bandages on her back, arms and legs. She had been horseback riding when a supposed tame spider monkey spooked her horse which threw her off. The spider monkey then attacked her causing several serious wounds including loss of muscle to her lower leg.

They were still looking for Kelly's mom who never did make that tender but they eventually found her. In the meantime, poor Kelly was helped into the tender which then seemed to take forever for everyone else to board, go back to the ship and get her off. The seas were rough and the tender was bobbing a lot. Thank goodness people were patient and let staff get her off safely and to the infirmary.

I do not know which excursion she was on or if she stayed on board. Get insurance!

[sharecruises]

I really hope that poor girl is OK...do you know WHICH horseback tour she was on in Belize?

One is at the Maruba Jungle Spa..

and one is at the "Plantation">>> Smuggler's Run Plantation

I have heard good things about both...

Not so sure that caves appeal to me, and I was thinking about horsebackriding and spa treatment at Maruba.., but this does make ya scared...that is really awful about poor Kelly

Do you have ANY idea which of these she was on??

I also posted this on your carnival 'review" of the miracle..

any advice appreciated...thanks

[Zeno]

Spider monkeys and horses - NOT a good mix. Monkeys are never completely tame and if startled CAN get quite aggressive - simply because they feel threatened and of course horses can panic. Whoever was running the tour should have been more in control of the situation. Letting these two animals interact together and closely with a tour group is simply dangerous and irresponsible.
BTW I have interacted with spider monkeys (orphans raised from infancy)
and they do best in quiet, controlled circumstances. Even the "tamest" will panic if confronted with a situation they perceive as dangerous. I can only imagine a scene where people and horses are milling about - the monkey would be stressed and anxious.

[mrleo33]

I tend to agree, that situation should never have been allowed to happen. The Bob's are a fun bunch to cruise with. They had a massive group on the Liberty last year and they were more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Too bad this happened.

[waterlily]

I really hope that poor girl is OK...do you know WHICH horseback tour she was on in Belize?

One is at the Maruba Jungle Spa..

and one is at the "Plantation">>> Smuggler's Run Plantation

I have heard good things about both...

Not so sure that caves appeal to me, and I was thinking about horsebackriding and spa treatment at Maruba.., but this does make ya scared...that is really awful about poor Kelly

Do you have ANY idea which of these she was on??

I also posted this on your carnival 'review" of the miracle..

any advice appreciated...thanks

I would imagine that it was not Smuggler's Run. We were recently at Smuggler's Run and didn't see any monkeys. They told us that during this time of the year the monkeys hang out near the rivers. They only come into the jungles/areas like Smuggler's Run when a certain fruit is in season. They did not have any captive or trained monkeys. That's okay. We had a great time anyway.

Sorry to hear about the attack. Sounds pretty scary.

[kmf1118]

hello this is the one that was injured from the spider monkey attack. I want to thank all of you for your kind words and thoughts for me. They are greatly appreciated. I'm at home now and have been since Dec 5th. I'm still recovering from the attack and not able to work full time yet. I still have quite a bit of healing to go.

I wanted to let you all know that the monkey didn't scare the horse. The horse got irritated because another rider was too close to me and my horse to where our legs were touching. My horse tried to speed up a bit to move away from the other horse - but that didn't work, the other horse still stayed right there. From there my horse got mad and bucked me off. I fell on my back/neck and head and when I got up I was dizzy from hitting my head on the ground. The 2 tour guides were helping me back to the resort one on each side of me and then all of a sudden their pet monkey came up and bit my right ankle on the back by my tendons. I fell the ground screaming and from there the monkey was all over me attacking me. I have several wounds on my legs, arms, back and shoulder area. I don't know why the monkey attacked me, but I was losing quite a bit of blood. They finally got the monkey off of me when they found my water bottle that I dropped and squirted the monkey to get him to stop attacking me. It was a traumatic experience and I'm still having a hard tiem with it. Not quite sure what to do... I don't have full use of my right foot yet...not sure if I will or not. Thank you for letting me take the time to say thank you for all of your support. I did ask that the monkey not be destroyed, but I do feel he needs to be at a zoo or something where he can be handled by professionals and not around the public free to roam.

I would love to take another cruise and hopefully have a amazing trip with no injuries so I can feel good about things again. The cruise was also supposed to be my birthday and Christmas gifts from my mom - I feel bad for her too and having to deal with this.

Once again - thank you to all of you.

Kelly

[sharecruises]

(((( Kelly )))).....OMG how awful !!

You are in my thoughts and prayers, hoping that you continue your recovery
and have a wonderful holiday with your family

I hope you will tell us which horseback riding place this was....I am shocked that the people running this did not do more to get the monkey off of you...that is just sad and scary

Hang in there...Happy Holidays and Happy Healing !!

Was this by a "spa" in the "jungle">?? Or on a "plantation", ie, "smuggler run"???

[crusinpsychRN]

So sorry that happened to you! Did you stay on the ship or fly home? I do hope you know how much everyone was praying for you and that you would be OK. Thanks for letting us know! My prayers continue with you!

[kmf1118]

it was the Maruba Resort.

[kmf1118]

We stayed on board, I really didn't go out of my cabin very much after that happened. Everyday until we were back in Tampa I had to go down to the infirmary to get my bandages changed. I could walk a bit - but not very much without getting worn out. I'm still healing and taking medication for the wounds, I'm only working half days at work and I'm so stressed and upset lately because I don't know what to do. Since this happened on private property at the resort things need to be handled through them and their insurance company but they are not providing me with that inforamtion. They are pretty much treating me like I should take care of everything through my insurance or disability through my job. This wasn't my fault and I cry about it everyday because I don't know what to do.
(I'm sorry - I don't mean to put this on you...) Thank you for listening to me.
Kelly

[THERAPYCRUISE]

Oh Kelly,

I can only hope you can eventually put this behind you. I wish I had some good advice regarding the legal situation with the resort, It sounds like you may need to get an international attorney familiar with Belize. I know how difficult overcoming trauma can be, just know that it takes time and it is OK to cry if you need to. You also might want to look into a treatment for trauma, It is called EMDR, if you google it you will get treatment facilities. They use this procedure in highly traumatic occurences, IE 911, war vets, victims of violent crimes, and traumatic accidents. My thoughts and prayers are with you. I will be in Belize on Dec. 26 if you want me to get the name of an attorney over there I will, just let me know. We leave in 3 days. Wishing you a quick recovery.

[crusinpsychRN]

I would recommend you see a mental health provider, sounds like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and you may need medication. When something like this happens chemicals in your body change and may require meds to correct.

I know this sounds dumb, but since then whenever I hear "monkey" I think of you and how awful it must have been. I went outside to get the paper and saw a piece of palm frond on the ground that looked like a monkey sitting up. And this didn't happen to me at all!

Please don't wait to see a professional. Anger turned inward is depression and can interfere with your recovery.

[kmf1118]

I would recommend you see a mental health provider, sounds like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and you may need medication. When something like this happens chemicals in your body change and may require meds to correct.

I know this sounds dumb, but since then whenever I hear "monkey" I think of you and how awful it must have been. I went outside to get the paper and saw a piece of palm frond on the ground that looked like a monkey sitting up. And this didn't happen to me at all!

Please don't wait to see a professional. Anger turned inward is depression and can interfere with your recovery.
I would appreciate it so much if you could maybe get attorney information for me. I don't want to put my full name or phone number in here, but maybe when you return if you did happen to speak to any and get some information I would love if you could relay that to me somehow. Maybe through here at first and then we could find a way to contact each other. Thank you, thank you for your kind words and thoughts. Your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you. Have a SAFE and nice trip. Hope to hear back from you soon.

[Boo's Mom]

Kelly....
I am so sorry to hear that this happened to you.
Know that I am going to pray for you.

I have reservations (not booked with the cruise line) with Maruba for this March.

So, the monkey that bit you was the "pet" of the horsebackriding guide?

[ozland]

Kelly....I'm so sorry to hear of your injuries. I, too, send wishes for a complete healing for you.

I did have one thought......did you book the cruise through the cruiseline? If so, perhaps you could get some advice from them regarding insurance claims. I would think the cruiseline would stand behind a *recommended* shore tour. If you had travel insurance that may be an option also. One or the other may intervene on your behalf.

Again, my best wishes to you!

[crusinpsychRN]

Kelly-- just a hello to let you know we're thinking of you.

[winewanderer]

Kelly,

So sorry to hear about this. It's just awful. I'm glad you popped in here to tell us more about it.

I wish you a speedy recovery.

[kmf1118]

Below is my account of what happened to me on Nov 30th 2006 at the Maruba Resort in Belize on their horseback riding tour. I was attacked severly by their PET spider monkey Pancho. The latest is I've had to get a lawyer and TRY to file my claim with their insurance company that in itself has been difficult. Anyone in Belize that is involved with this incident has made it pretty much as close to impossible to talk to them as they can, but I have still kept pushing my claim. I am still not working and have found out that my right tendon is partially torn and will more than likeley have a limp of some sort for the rest of my life. No one at the resort will talk to me, no one at the insurance company will talk to me either. They are basically trying to bully me into forgetting about this incident. BUT I CAN'T and WON'T! People visiting Belize whether you are doing an exursion or not in my opinion are not safe. We have contacted Carnival as well and have not hear anything back. I have gone to the media here in Omaha Nebraska and it has been on our local news. I've also sent email to Nancy Grace and other national news sources. This needs to get out there for people to know! I've contacted the US Embassy there in Belize about this attack - they weren't even aware that it had happened! Once they found out they said that all things like this should be reported to them from the Resorts the respresentative from the US Embassy has gone personally to the Resort to try and obtain information about this and the Resort just tells them NO COMMENT. Please be careful when visiting here - if anything happens to anyone visiting this country you are on your own. If this place doesn't even have to report to the US Embassy then why do we have one down there? Who is there it help all outside visitors to this country when a tragedy happens? Who is there to protect us? I have attached my pics of my wounds from that day please be warned they are graphic(the images you are looking at are bite marks from his fangs) but I need to get this word out to as many people in as many places as possible. If this would have been a small child being attacked they would not have survived in my opinion. If there is anyone out there that could even help me with pursueing my claim I would welcome any advice or assistance. I'm not only fighting for me anymore - I'm now fighting for anyone that will be visiting Belize or has already visited that may be dealing with may have to deal with a severe tragedy.

If anyone would like to contact me here's my email: kmf_0320@yahoo.com
<kmf_(underscore)0320@yahoo.com>


hello this is the one that was injured from the spider monkey attack. I want to thank all of you for your kind words and thoughts for me. They are greatly appreciated. I'm at home now and have been since Dec 5th. I'm still recovering from the attack and not able to work full time yet. I still have quite a bit of healing to go.

I wanted to let you all know that the monkey didn't scare the horse. The horse got irritated because another rider was too close to me and my horse to where our legs were touching. My horse tried to speed up a bit to move away from the other horse - but that didn't work, the other horse still stayed right there. From there my horse got mad and bucked me off. I fell on my back/neck and head and when I got up I was dizzy from hitting my head on the ground. The 2 tour guides were helping me back to the resort one on each side of me and then all of a sudden their pet monkey came up and bit my right ankle on the back by my tendons. I fell the ground screaming and from there the monkey was all over me attacking me. I have several wounds on my legs, arms, back and shoulder area. I don't know why the monkey attacked me, but I was losing quite a bit of blood. They finally got the monkey off of me when they found my water bottle that I dropped and squirted the monkey to get him to stop attacking me. It was a traumatic experience and I'm still having a hard tiem with it. Not quite sure what to do... I don't have full use of my right foot yet...not sure if I will or not. Thank you for letting me take the time to say thank you for all of your support. I did ask that the monkey not be destroyed, but I do feel he needs to be at a zoo or something where he can be handled by professionals and not around the public free to roam.

I would love to take another cruise and hopefully have a amazing trip with no injuries so I can feel good about things again. The cruise was also supposed to be my birthday and Christmas gifts from my mom - I feel bad for her too and having to deal with this.

Once again - thank you to all of you.

Kelly

[kmf1118]

sorry - dupe message:rolleyes:

[sushisushi]

That's horrible! I can't believe the way that they are treating you!

I know that I will certainly not be giving my business to the Maruba Resort, and hopefully others on this board will follow suit. The very least we can do is refuse to give our money to a place that not only allowed this to happen but also refuses to do anything about it!

I really hope you get all of this settled, and your leg heals more.

[dforeigner]

Nancy Grace? Have you tried contacting someone at FOX News?

[dforeigner]

I believe the deal is that local authorities are the ones who are suppose to contact the consular/embassy offices rather than the businesses. This seldom happens. The same goes in the US. Local law enforcement authorities seldom contact the consulate office of people from other countries. Probably due to the fact that they do not know that they are suppose to do this.

Nancy Grace from CNN? No wonder she has not returned your call or answered your letter.

I am sorry though, to hear that you have not healed yet. Have you tried contacting FOX News? I used to have a link to a help on your side type individual with MSNBC but cannot find the contact information.

Well, I found it:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11620548/

http://www.consumerman.com/

Good luck!

[sharecruises]

Oh Kelly....I am so sorry to hear that this nightmare is still going on for you ...

how frustrating that the resort and their insurance are stonewalling.

"Boycotting" Belize is really not the answer tho IMHO>> look at the silly failed boycott of Aruba over a drunken adult tourist who took off with 3 kids and then who knows what happened to her? Sad case, but surely not the fault of the whole island...that family has money and political pull tho and they mananged to make that non story nightly news for much of 2005

Fox news surely gave Beth Twitty tons of airtime, and now Beth has an odd "charity" that apparently pays her to give "safe travel" advice, however her charity refuses to give any info about it's finances/budget/salary info *in defiance of US Tax laws...it claims to be "tax exempt">> and Beth still is taking in money....pretty sad to see how she and the father exploited their personal tragedy into a moneymaker
Her so called "safe travel" website is pretty lame, it is a copy/paste of the state dept travel advisory with buttons to "donate" to her...ouch

I doubt Beth Twitty will help anyone but herself, have not seen her help in any other cases...tho you might ask her

I think you should write to Greta van sustern....ontherecord@foxnews.com

Greta gave all that air time to the Holloway case while neglecting others..surely she could give a minute of air time for your case???

Also...I think it is important for people to "boycott" correctly...JMO Boycott Maruba spa....tho it sounded great their treatment of you proves they are not a good place...it is not the "fault" of the people of Belize, just as other tragedies are not the fault of people who live in tourist areas.

I live in Broward County..and while it is sad that poor sweet befuddled Anna Nicole died (or overdosed/died) here, I am surely not able to change our medical examiner, our laws, our police or the police of the Seminole Reservation where the Hard Rock is located...

I don't work in the "tourist industry" but I feel for people who are affected by broad boycotts that they can't help what their police/govt do....ie, like in aruba etc...the average person in Belize can't help your case one way or another, and it is not right that they suffer. The "bad" people in this case are the Maruba owners and their insurance.

Something of this nature would be a civil case here in the USA also...we have to put this in perspective tho I know that is so hard for you Kelly. However, if you concentrate on finding the right "keys" to get help, I think that you will triumph...

More specific and targeted action is needed...

Let's start with Island Marketing...a company that promotes various tours including Maruba

the Island Marketing Company offers various tours...including Maruba...I am writing to them to let them know that I am booking my Altun Ha tour through Coral Breeze instead. I will not use Island Marketing since they offer Maruba...and I am letting them know the reason : the monkey attack on Kelly that Maruba is not taking responsibility for....perioid

They also handle x-stream cave tubing...so cancel that and book with the other group and let them know why...pretty soon I think Maruba will be dropped from their tour offerings....and let Maruba know what you are doing

http://www.belizecruiseexcursions.com/contact.htm

We can also write to Maruba...and people who plan to horseback ride there could cancel and book with Smuggler's Run...let Maruba know why

we could also write to the newspapers in Belize....and to politicians there...

one good thing...English is their language also so they can not claim a language barrier <grin>

I also notice on Maruba's own website that they have been featured in many high class magazines, maybe you could write to them also Kelly>?

Some of the mags, like Harper's Bazaar might even help you with restorative surgery...there are all sorts of advances in micro surgery, etc....there are experts in major cities that may have more skills than your local doctor...you deserve the best and the best chance at a healthy happy life!

I really hope that Nancy Grace, Greta, O'Riley etc can lay off poor Anna Nicole for a minute and give your case some help Kelly

feel free to email me sharecruises@aol.com

[crusinpsychRN]

sharecruises--that was a lot of really good info and advice. Thanks for your thoughts.

[crusinpsychRN]

Just wondering how you are Kelly?

[DonMar]

"More specific and targeted action is needed...

Let's start with Island Marketing...a company that promotes various tours including Maruba

the Island Marketing Company offers various tours...including Maruba...I am writing to them to let them know that I am booking my Altun Ha tour through Coral Breeze instead. I will not use Island Marketing since they offer Maruba...and I am letting them know the reason : the monkey attack on Kelly that Maruba is not taking responsibility for....perioid

They also handle x-stream cave tubing...so cancel that and book with the other group and let them know why...pretty soon I think Maruba will be dropped from their tour offerings....and let Maruba know what you are doing

http://www.belizecruiseexcursions.com/contact.htm"


I too am very sorry to hear what happened to you Kelly and I am even more disappointed in the Maruba Spa and Resort.

In response to the above quote - I booked with Island Marketing/Belize Cruise Excurions for a trip in February and I do not remember seeing any offering of Maruba. (They did a GREAT job! Went to Lamanai.) I went on their site again and could not find anything - maybe they have already taken it off their offerings.

Best of luck.

[OttoCal]

Kelly, a quick note to say that I am sorry about your bad horseback riding experience. It sounds like you have gotten some good advice here, and I hope you continue to improve.

I have been horseback riding in Belize, and I know that it is pretty easy to get thrown or have a similar riding incident, but the whole monkey thing is really out there. It is pretty obvious to some of us that a monkey just doesn't make a good pet, and this is why!

Keep your spirits up, keep riding when you are up to it again, and I hope your next cruise is fabulous and injury free.

Just keep away from those spider monkeys!

OttoCal

[out2sea4fun]

Kelly, I am very sorry to hear what happened. I know first-hand how painful a tenon injury can be. I had severe Achille's tendonitis which began in 6th grade and I was in braces and casts through 9th grade and still have difficulty at times.
We will be in Belize on March 27th and we will not give any of our money to Maruba Resort :( or anyone who promotes them. Just wanted to let you know that I wrote Maruba Resort and told them what a disgrace I think they are to their country and citizens. Accidents happen and that's why you carry insurance. I also told them that our group would be taking excursions through other tour groups because of what happened to you and, more importantly, how they have handled your situation. I posed the question to them about how much money do they think they've lost because of Pancho. I'm sure it will end up costing them much more in their sales than if they had just taken care of you to begin with. But, that's what happens when you don't do the right thing. It always comes back on you. I pray for your complete recovery and for Maruba Resort to step up and be a reputable company that cares about their customers. Diane

[Goulaigan]

So sorry to hear about your problems in Belize! It is really unfortunate that bad operators like the one you hired are allowed to operate anywhere.
We recently returned from Belize where we thoroughly enjoyed a day on horseback @ Smugglers Run Plantation. The owners of Smugglers Run told us about your situation. They both were very upset about the way you are being handled.
They said that equestrian tour operators should know better than to keep pet monkeys since pet monkeys start out as lovable but always turn mean as they get older. Trevor told us that they have turned down offers of pet monkeys because the initial attraction to tourist is not worth the serious risk of injuries to their patrons.
It was clear from our visit that Smugglers Run is a first class operation with fantastic staff. Smugglers did everything right for this type of business. They properly matched horse and rider, they ensured everyone was fit properly, all protective gear was available, the group was lead by a competent guide and another followed close behind us.
This thread is about the very serious injuries suffered by one of us but lets not let this incident damage the reputation of good operators like Smugglers.
Please keep this thread going so we can hear how your recuperation goes.
Best wishes from Canada!

[sharecruises]

Hi....

Kelly did put up her review/story on Trip Advisor under Maruba Spa...and thankfully the Island Marketing People removed them as a tour and refunded money so others will be spared this. I think getting out the word is empowering for Kelly

Glad to hear that you loved Smuggler's Run, that is where I am also "booked". I think the fact that Trevor runs his own operation, takes pride in it and responsibility for it makes a huge difference

The ownership of Maruba is murky to say the least, from info I have dug up it may be partly owned by americans, maybe thru Texas?? Pretty weird...and this also led to this debacle...since the people working there did not take any responsibility....if you read Kelly's story, it is clear that they KNEW the monkey is always on a leash/chain...and that they took them out on horseback even after they saw the monkey was somehow OFF his leash and running free..they even commented on it! At this point I wonder IF that monkey has attacked others, maybe less violently, but there is a REASON he was always chained up...look at the chimps who tore off that guy's face when he visited them!

So the sad fact is that they were negligent and that no one who actually owns Maruba has done anything or even made any apology. I am a huge animal lover but in this case I think a vicious animal should be put in a zoo or something, not kept as a pet around tourists.

Thanks for keeping this story alive! I am sure that Kelly appreciates our concern and prayers for her healing! Thanks for the good Smuggler's Run info!