Thomas Lee Chee Chee Today Online 28 Nov 13;
On the issue of the monkey menace, especially in landed housing estates, animal welfare groups feel that one of the problems lies with these residents leaving leftover food exposed.
It is not uncommon, however, to see groups of monkeys rummaging through rubbish bins provided by the waste collector. My uncle who lives near a nature reserve has to keep watch over his papaya and banana trees whenever his dogs bark at approaching monkeys.
Perhaps a possible solution is for animal welfare groups to work with relevant agencies to plant and maintain more fruit trees in the forest. Until these mature and bear fruits, there could be a designated part in nature reserves where fruits are provided to the monkeys.
For the immediate future, culling is necessary to control the monkey population. Sterilisation could also be helpful. No amount of change in human behaviour would lessen the problem.
