By Aida Aziz
Photo: Balqis Jazimah Zahari
IPOH: The excitement and enjoyment of exploring Gunung Lang Recreational Park here were dampened by the presence of many aggressive mountain monkeys that pose a danger to visitors.
If you cross Lake Gunung Lang here at a cost of RM3 for adults and RM1.50 for children and senior citizens, you would certainly expect a worthwhile experience for “healing” and escaping the hustle and bustle of city life.
However, a recent observation found that many visitors were traumatized and frightened after being chased and harassed by the mountain monkeys, even though they were not carrying any food or drinks while walking.
Without blaming the presence of the animals, as this is indeed their natural habitat, many questioned the safety measures or control by the authorities to prevent unwanted incidents from occurring.
In fact, throughout the observation, several people were seen screaming and running in fear due to threats posed by these mountain monkeys.
It was found that several monkeys chased a mother and her young child while they were spending time at the playground provided. The mother had to ask for help from nearby people to drive the animals away.
Three visitors each from Selangor and Ipoh were also traumatized after being aggressively chased and sought help from those around them.
Nor Sulaiman, 58, Siti Abdul Hamid, 58, and Leha Abd Rahman, 58, were among those who experienced these frightening moments.
Two of them were visiting the park for the first time, while for Leha, it was her second visit, and she did not expect the mountain monkeys to have become more aggressive.
“There are indeed many mountain monkeys here. It’s dangerous for children because we don’t expect them to be aggressive.
“We had to ask for help from the public because they chased us even though we weren’t holding any food or drinks,” she said.
Another visitor said she saw a couple being harassed by the mountain monkeys while walking there, prompting her to advise the couple to be more cautious.
“At first, I saw a mother and child being disturbed, and it looked like the monkey was about to attack. Luckily, several men helped to chase it away.
“After that, a couple appeared and were chased as well. I advised them to be careful because it was clearly aggressive, so they picked up branches nearby as a precaution,” said the Ipoh resident, who was also visiting the place for the first time.
Although visitors were warned in advance by staff about the presence of mountain monkeys that might disturb them if they carried food or drinks, it was not clearly explained that the monkeys could still chase people without any apparent reason.
The authorities should provide stricter safety measures for the public visiting the area, especially since the location is frequently visited by tourists from both within and outside the country.
As a suggestion, perhaps the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) could monitor the area, along with the provision of guards or personnel to conduct patrols if there is a threat from mountain monkeys, because truly, they are indeed aggressive.
In general, it is their natural habitat, but as the responsible authorities, there is a need to be more accountable to ensure the public feels safe and is not traumatized from visiting the place again.
Gunung Lang Recreational Park is an ecotourism park featuring a man-made lake, a man-made waterfall, and beautiful limestone hill scenery such as Gunung Lang and Gunung Bilike.
