How young Aussie tourist Jami Groves ended up with a $6,000 bill after a visit to a Balinese animal sanctuary
A tourist has been hit with a staggering $6,000 in medical bills after being bitten by a monkey while on holiday in Bali.
Jami Groves was traveling with a friend Indonesian island when she was bitten by a monkey while posing for photos at an animal shelter.
On a social media after“I’ve never liked monkeys anyway,” Ms. Groves wrote, posting several photos of herself with the animals.
In a video recorded by a friend, Ms Groves was seen lying on a hospital bed talking to medical staff.
The friend asked one of the employees, “So if she gets rabies, she’ll never be cured?”
One of the medical staff replied in a very serious tone, “No, by the time you know she has rabies it will be too late.”
The two women then burst out laughing.
Australian tourist hit with $6,000 bill after being bitten by monkey in Bali
Mrs. Groves managed to see the funny side of a possible rabies infection
Ms Groves confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that she had taken out travel insurance
Their response appears to have confused the local medical staff.
Still trying to control her laughter, Mrs. Groves replied, “It’s not funny, it’s not funny.”
She then bursts out laughing again before repeating, “Sorry, it’s not funny,” before the video ends.
Ms Groves told Daily Mail Australia she had to pay about $4,200 for doses of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), including international transaction and other banking fees.
She said she had to buy two extra doses in Australia for $300 each.
She confirmed that she had travel insurance.
PEP is an effective method of preventing rabies from reaching the central nervous system, which usually leads to death.
The smart traveler website indicates that rabies is a risk in Indonesia.
It states that tourists should avoid contact with monkeys even in places where interaction is encouraged, such as shrines, tourist destinations, forests and popular markets.
The website warns: ‘Treatment for rabies in Indonesia may be limited, including the availability of rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin.’
“If you are bitten, you may need to return to Australia or travel to another country for immediate treatment,” it says.
Ms Groves’ followers on social media saw the funny side of the incident.
“Girl, you don’t know how much I laughed at the rabies video,” one said.
Monkey interactions are very popular with tourists in Bali.
The Sacred Monkey Forest – also known as the Ubud Monkey Forest – is one of Bali’s most popular tourist attractions.
Located in Padangtegal village in Ubud, it is home to more than 1,200 long-tailed macaque monkeys.
