Ravi addressing Taman Gasing Indah residents during a town hall meeting with Perhilitan. With him is Choo (second from right). —SAMUEL ONG/The Star
A TRAP has been set up at Taman Gasing Indah in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, following complaints by residents about monkeys.
Taman Gasing Indah Residents Association president Ravi Kumar said the “monkey menace” had become an almost daily affair in the neighbourhood in recent months.
“In the early days, monkey disturbances were an isolated issue and we used to be excited to see monkeys appearing in the residential area.
“However, it became an almost daily occurrence in the last six months or so.
“We will continue working with the authorities to address the issue,” said Ravi during a town hall meeting called by Taman Gasing Indah residents with Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan).
Taman Gasing Indah is located about 2.5km from Hutan Pendidikan Bukit Gasing, a popular recreational forest.
During the town hall meeting, residents had also called on Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) to act on the issue.
They said although Perhilitan could help control the monkey population, this remained a short-term measure.
“MBPJ should take wildlife, such as monkeys, into consideration in its development plans.
“Developments should not be carried out in places with a lot of wildlife,” said Taman Gasing Indah Rukun Tetangga (RT) deputy chairman Alan Woo.
He suggested MBPJ roll out monkey-proof dustbins to prevent the animals from rummaging for food.
“MBPJ could also consider planting fruits trees like bananas, papayas and pineapples in the nearby forest so that the monkeys can access food there and don’t need to come to our homes,” added Woo.
Also present at the town hall meeting, which was attended by more than 50 residents, was Taman Gasing Indah RT chairman Andrew Choo, who said residents should also play their part to keep monkeys away from their houses.
“Residents must ensure their rubbish is properly disposed of and bins secured so that monkeys do not look for food there.
“Residents also must not feed the monkeys,” said Choo.
Perhilitan and MBPJ had not responded to requests for comments at press time.
