Monkeys become dependent when people feed them as the macaques then expect food daily from humans, says Perak Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan).
As such, department director Yusoff Shariff advised the public to stop feeding the animals.
He said monkeys would think the people they saw would have food and might have a tendency to attack when there was no food given.
“So please stop feeding the monkeys,” he said when contacted.
Yusoff was asked to comment on StarMetro’s report, “Monkeys, flash floods plague Ipoh suburb” on Oct 11 about monkeys creating a nuisance at a Siamese temple and near Taman Ramai in Bercham, near Ipoh.
Bercham assemblyman Ong Boon Piow had said there was a large population of monkeys on the hill where Wat Trumcitta Vipassana Temple was located on Laluan Hulu Bercham 1.
These monkeys, he said, vandalised temple property as well as houses in the neighbourhood.
Ong had expressed his dissatisfaction with people feeding monkeys outside temple grounds and suspected that they helped the monkeys escape capture too.
“When there is not enough food, they go to nearby houses and rummage through rubbish bins and pick fruits from trees cultivated by residents,” he added.
Yusoff said constant interaction between humans and monkeys increased the risk of disease transmission too.
He said no action could be taken against those who feed wild animals.
“However, for sabotaging the cages placed by the department to trap monkeys, we can take action for preventing civil servants from carrying out their duties under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 186).
“If we catch anyone sabotaging the trap, we can use this Act and if found guilty, the person can be fined RM10,000, or jailed up to a maximum of two years,” he added.
Yusoff said the traps were monitored from time to time, but they were unable to station staff there.
He said complaints on such conflicts were not only in Bercham, but everywhere wild monkeys were found in residential areas.
“All parties need to cooperate and if this happens, we are confident that we can reduce the problem.
“So do not feed monkeys. Close all doors and windows to prevent macaques from entering the house.
“Also, children must not provoke the monkeys nor go near them,” he advised.
Yusoff said that when the department received a complaint, they would investigate and take appropriate action.
“We will advise the complainant on what to do and if there are many monkeys, we will set a trap.
“Macaques are not suitable to be released in other locations as they carry with them zoonotic diseases and will also cause a nuisance in the new area,” he added.
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