Metro

Wednesday June 3, 2009

Public park turning into a monkey enclave

By FAZLEENA AZIZ


THE Lembah Kiara Recreational Park at Taman Tun Dr Ismail in Kuala Lumpur has turned into an enclave for monkeys.

The large number of monkeys is causing a great concern among the nearby residents and park visitors.

Some residents and park visitors have complained about the nuisance posed by the monkeys, who come looking for food.

StarMetro visited the park recently and found that the monkeys were roaming freely among the parks visitors.

Good deeds: Sakamoto drops by the park every day to feed the monkeys.

Most of the visitors seemed to be used to their presence while others were fearful and cautious with them lingering around the park. Parents were especially worried about the safety of their children.

According to park visitor Norsulina Mohamad Sultan Sahib, 36, from Bangsar, the monkeys congregate at the park because some people are offering them food.

She said that some of the monkeys could be aggressive, citing an incident when a monkey tried to snatch a packet of soy bean drink from her.

“Since the incident, I do not carry anything with me when visiting the park,” Norsulina said.

She said that confining the monkeys to a specific place could be a solution to the problem.

According to student Amirul Hayyad Hussain, 20, who loves to jog at the park, the monkey population has increased significantly within a year.

“You never used to see that many monkeys before but now they are everywhere. Most of them do not disturb the people but they do come to search for food,” he said.

Nearby resident Lilie Sakamoto, 50, seems to have a tender affection for the monkeys, and enjoys spending time and feeding them almost everyday.

“They are hungry and in need of food. They are not causing any trouble to the people.

“I hope more people will sponsor food for them because they are so thin,” she said.

Lilie said that the monkey population was huge because they reproduce every quickly.

According to Federal Territory Wildlife and National Park Department (Perhilitan) director Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim, the department is in a dilemma over what to do with the monkey business.

He said some people felt that the monkeys should be protected and taken care off while others considered them a nuisance and wanted the department to get rid of them.

Jamalun said that it would take the department a whole year to recapture the monkeys set free by the people from the traps it set up.

Impunity: The monkeys roam freely in the park.

“The main reason for the monkey invasion of the park is that the natural habitat of the monkeys has been encroached by development,” he said.

“Naturally they are afraid of people but if they are provoked they could retaliate. It is also a very bad idea to feed them because it will encourage them to keep coming back for more,” Jamalun said.

According to Jamalun, the species most commonly found in the Klang Valley is the Kera followed by Lotong and Beruk.

All the animals are protected but could be kept as pet if the owners have obtained licences for them.

Asked what the people could do to curb the monkey problem, Jamalun said they could only set traps to catch the monkey, but could not torture or kill them.

“If we find that people use poison on the monkeys, the penalty for cruelty against animal is RM5,000 or three years imprisonment,” he said.

The monkey population in Kuala Lumpur is very high and the prominent areas are the Kiara Park, Bangsar and Bukit Tunku. The breeding period of the monkey is also fast with the female monkey getting pregnant twice a year.

“We have done many operations at the Kiara Park but there are people who are for it and against it. We have set traps and release the monkeys into the forest land. We also have programme to educate people to close their garbage bins and prevent the feeding of the animals,” he said.

Jamalun said the department would only resort to shooting the monkeys if they were violent and posed a danger to the people.

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