Moving out monkeys from park in Malaysia

New Straits Times 7 Sep 09;

MUAR: The Tanjung Ketapang recreational park here will be closed temporarily to allow the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) to relocate a growing population of monkeys.

About 1,500 monkeys inhabiting a 2ha mangrove swamp will be moved to the Bukit Maokil forest reserve, 120km away near Pagoh.

The monkeys have become the main attraction at the seaside park, but their growing numbers have led to litter left by those who feed them and complaints they are stealing food from nearby housing estates.

Council deputy whip Fong Soh Lan said at the start of the exercise on Friday that a plan to sterilise the monkeys was scrapped because of the cost of RM80 per monkey.


She said the council and Perhilitan hope to trap at least half of the monkeys in the next two weeks.