The problem with monkeys ... and humans

In the last few days, we had been subjected to the gruesome story of how a wild monkey had gained entry into an apartment , carried away a four-day-old baby and then biting and killing the newborn. It's a grim reminder that while monkeys may be our closest relative on the evolution ladder, they are still savage animals.

How many times have you seen monkeys chase after humans? Countless times, actually. I only need to go to the nearby Bukit Mertajam Forest Park to see ignorant people taunt and tease the monkeys and then run away screaming when the monkeys run after them. The worst offenders are not children but the adult Malay women who should know better. That's why whenever I climb the trails around the BM hill, I would carry either an umbrella or a walking stick to scare away unwanted animals.

Yesterday during my walk at the foothills, I came across a monkey of immense proportions, a monster monkey if ever there was one. An alpha male monkey, I was told, but I'm not too sure. It looks like a different species of primates because this one sported a short tale compared with the rest of the monkeys running wild everywhere.

Regardless, this was definitely the biggest and baddest-looking monkey at the foothills. It moved around regally. I could see that it was not scared of anything around it, least of all people. Looking at its size, I will rather move aside if this monkey comes ambling towards me.

But it was not only this particular beast that wasn't scared of people. Nearby was a group of smaller monkeys playing about on a car's roof. But what particularly riled me was that someone actually came up to the monkeys and not only threw food to them but encouraged them to snatch the food from his hand. It's downright dangerous, and it's people like this person who contributes to the monkey menace. By feeding them, it makes the monkeys too bold and lazy. They become far too aggressive. And it's people like him who usually make a hue and cry when someone gets attacked by the animals.