Bukit Kiara fences making it difficult, say riders

“We used to be able to take our horses right to the top of the hill, but we can’t do that anymore, it is inaccessible because of the fencing,” said the 48-year-old.

“It is now a lot shorter because our riding track got cut off and we need to turn around.

“We used to be able to ride for an hour and a half, but now we ride for about 20 minutes. Whenever you come to a corner there's a fence now,” said Ingram.

“We would love to talk to Jabatan Landskap Negara (JLN) about putting more access gates so that we can get through to more trails,” she added.

“The heavy machinery being driven through the handmade tracks have made some of the trails very muddy, making it dangerous for horse riders, cyclists and other visitors,” said fellow equestrian Lisa Stoddart.

“The shrubs that used to be there would help with the drainage, but now it has just become really thick and sloppy mud,” said the 48-year-old.

Equestrian Tan Say Biow said that over the 10 years he has been riding up to Bukit Kiara, he has slowly seen the wildlife decline.

“I don’t see a lot of wildlife anymore. I used to see a lot of monitor lizards, for example, but you're seeing less and less animals, except for the monkeys,” said 60-year-old Tan.

The four equestrians recall seeing snakes, tortoises, and monitor lizards being trapped by the fence during their rides.

“They (the wildlife) can’t get past the fence. I did read that the fence was supposed to be wildlife friendly, but I don’t think it can be because they have buried it (the fence) in cement,” said West.

Not only has the fencing cut off a few trails, but the access gates will now be closing at specific times.

“I’ve been told that it will start happening this month. The gates will open from 7am to 11am, and close from 11am to 3pm, reopens and closes again at 7pm,” said West.

“Nobody explained to us why they are closing the gates during the day. Why 11am to 3pm? It doesn’t make sense,” said Ingram.