A British holidaymaker had the shock of his life during what should have been a peaceful poolside break in Thailand, but turned into a nightmare.

While taking a dip to cool off, Kane Smith was astounded when he suddenly found himself accompanied by a group of monkeys by the water’s edge. The terrifying moment was captured in a TikTok video that has since gone viral; in it, Kane is initially seen enjoying himself with the caption: “POV: One minute you’re living the dream in Thailand…the next you’re in a nightmare.”

The clip shows a wide-eyed Kane turning the camera to reveal a red-faced monkey making its approach. In Thailand, such monkey encounters are not uncommon, but they can quickly become perilous if the animals are on the prowl for snacks or sense any threat.

As one macaque comes charging towards him, Kane is heard exclaiming in distress: “Oh my f****ing God. Why is it doing that? My God…oh my f****ing God.”

His panic escalates when more monkeys arrive, including a baby, prompting him to cry out, “Oh my God there’s a whole family,” while documenting the unfolding drama.

The primates casually roam around the pool area, sipping water and settling in. Eventually, Kane makes his exit from the water, but the situation intensifies as he is pursued down some steps by a couple of the bolder monkeys.

The frightened tourist made a hasty retreat from the daunting monkeys, who ceased their pursuit once he left the vicinity. Kane recounted: “Honestly the scariest moment of my life. I apologise for all the swearing.. kinda thought my life was about to end. Started off with one monkey and then a full gang suddenly appeared.”

A viewer commented on the viral video, which has amassed over 15 million views, saying: “This is a cinematic masterpiece. I demand it wins awards. The drama. The never ending monkeys. The giant one. The running. This is glorious.”

Another remarked: “Why did you stay in there so long? I would’ve been well gone.” While someone else noted: “Not the massive one turning up at the end my soul would have left my body.”

An additional comment read: “Monkeys are strong, you weren’t overreacting at all. They could have really hurt you if they wanted.” Echoing the sentiment, another said: “That was actually terrifying,”.

“No, because that was actually terrifying, I’d never recover,” concurred another viewer. “I actually don’t know how you got away from that alive,” another chimed in.

In an update, Kane shared: “I feel like there is so much that I need to say…obviously the main thing is that I am OK. A lot of people were worried about that. And the second one, people saying ‘oh why did you stay in the pool that long?’ – you don’t understand that when I was in the pool, my only exit was where all the monkeys were coming from.

“When that one monkey came I wanted to leave the pool and get help, but all the other monkeys were coming from that direction.”

The specific location within Thailand where Kane experienced this is not known.

Menacing monkey problem in Thailand

Thailand is currently facing a significant issue with its monkey population, as their numbers are on the rise and behaviours are turning progressively more hostile. Just last year, Thai authorities found themselves in a predicament, necessitating officers to be equipped with slingshots and tranquiliser guns to deal with the aggressive bands of monkeys wreaking havoc around the town of Lopburi.

The macaques of Lopburi are long-standing local residents, honoured with an annual festival, yet there have been an increase in hazardous confrontations with people and visitors recently, leading to a takeover by the intimidating monkeys. Their presence has led to the closure of several businesses and dented tourism prospects, with reports of the animals leaping onto vehicles and snatching away food.

As a measure against these bold macaques, Thai police have resorted to arming themselves with wooden catapults.