Love Island contestants have been told to be wary of baboons as monkeys wreak havoc near the villa. As this year's stars find love in the luxury South African villa, tourists and locals in the Western Cape area have been terrorised by a troop of baboons.
According to MailOnline, warning signs for "wild baboons" have been placed on roads in the area, warning motorists and passers-by of the potential dangers. Around an hour from Cape Town, where the series nine stars are currently sunning themselves, a British couple's rental car was close to being written off after a number of primates descended upon the vehicle.
The islanders have been advised by producers to be careful when cooling off in the pool and pulling each other for a chat on the day beds. Extra care must be taken when handling food outside, as the scent can easily be picked up by baboons, who could break into the villa's beautifully landscaped garden and pool area to grab a snack.
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Two British holidaymakers, who were staying close to the plush Love Island mansion, were given the fright of their lives when they were surrounded by hungry monkeys looking for a bite to eat. One of the tourists was walking to their hire car with a banana in her hand when a baboon bounded towards her.
A dominant male monkey leapt from a wall towards the anonymous London-based tourist, showing its teeth. She told MailOnline that her partner was taking some pictures of the troop who were, at that stage, looking rather calm and "a bit bored".
"When I walked out, one of the bigger baboons snarled and showed its teeth," the holidaymaker said to the publication. "It began to leap towards me and, as it jumped from the wall which was about 15 feet high, he used our car as a springboard and bounced towards me.
"I threw the banana to make him change direction as he had his mouth open and scared the life out of me. He kind of roared as he went through the air."
The tourist added that the primate landed on the car with "a loud bang" before making a beeline for the banana, which it then devoured. Hotel staff members informed the woman that she was "lucky" as the baboon's sharp claws could have "injured" her had she not shown initiative by chucking the fruit away from her.
She said: "But the car looks like it may have to be written off as the roof is badly dented and the internal lights and switches smashed off by the Baboon’s weight. It is going to cost several thousands of pounds to repair. But luckily my partner had taken out full insurance."
A Love Island insider also told MailOnline that the roads surrounding the villa have been shut off by security guards in trucks for the safety of the islanders. However, they added that the baboons can't be stopped if they're hungry.
They said: "We have told the Love Islanders to be very careful not to wave food around and to be on the alert in case troops of baboons suddenly appear feeling decidedly hungry. We are not particularly worried that the stars will be injured, but we don’t want any unpleasant scenes.
"They have come from Britain and won’t be used to such numbers of monkeys running in the wild and suddenly appearing from nowhere. They have been properly briefed on how to be safe.
"There is a catering venue in the villa’s grounds and the chefs are very smart in keeping an eye on the food as well as an eye out for any monkey invaders. Our security guard the BBQ too."
The bananas situation is not the first problem the villa has had to deal with outside of the show. Last week, islanders were reportedly left running for the toilets after being struck down by a bombshell bug, which is said to have affected members of the production crew and contestants.
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