Monkeys a handful at Cibubur urban forest<\/p>\n
Bambang Parlupi, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Scout Camping Ground and Tourism Complex, Buperta
\nPramuka, in Cibubur, to the south of Jakarta, is one of few urban
\nforests close to the capital city.<\/p>\n
The 210-hectare site is surrounded by low-lying forest,
\nagricultural land, swamps and a freshwater lake. It is a popular
\ncamping ground for school and university students and members of
\nthe scout movement at weekends and on school holidays.<\/p>\n
The land occupied by Buperta Pramuka, which was inaugurated on
\nAugust 14, 1973, borders with Bogor regency and is a water
\ncatchment.<\/p>\n
Visitors can easily see various species of birds and insects,
\nbut reptiles, such as lizards and cobras, green snakes and
\npythons, are harder to spot. Buperta Pramuka is now also home to
\nquite a large group of long-tailed monkeys (Facaca fascucilaris).<\/p>\n
Boeddy S. Erawan, 60, coordinator of the staff experts of
\nBuperta Pramuka said that there were about 200 monkeys living in
\nthe camping grounds.<\/p>\n
"They are found in four locations. Two groups of some 60
\nmonkeys live around the entrance gate and in the parking area.
\nTwo smaller groups, of some 40 monkeys each, are found around the
\nlake and in the fishing area.<\/p>\n
"Two smaller groups have also been sighted around the forest
\nand in the employees housing complex," said Boeddy, who, five
\nyears ago, was deputy head of Buperta Pramuka.<\/p>\n
As far as he could remember, Boeddy said, the monkeys first
\nappeared in the area in the early 1990s. No one knew how they got
\nthere, but the forested area not far from the information center
\nsoon became their home.<\/p>\n
"There were no more than 10 in total. The management gave them
\nfood like bananas, papaya, corn or sweet potatoes every day,"
\nBoeddy said.<\/p>\n
Also, plenty of food suitable for monkeys such as sapodilla,
\nrose apples and mangoes was there for the picking. "The
\nmanagement no longer feeds the monkeys because there are over two
\nhundred of them now," he said.<\/p>\n
Incoming monkeys left by public<\/p>\n
Later, other monkeys were introduced to the area by members of
\nthe public, Boeddy said. The owners left them covertly at the
\nentrance gate or near the fence in the forested area close to the
\nJagorawi toll road. They were left there without the permission
\nof Buperta Pramuka management. These newcomers, however, have not
\nbeen made to feel welcome.<\/p>\n
"If you see a group of these primates chasing a monkey, you
\ncan be sure that someone has just left it in this area. Many
\nnewcomers have been wounded or even killed by the old
\n'residents'," he said.<\/p>\n
Many people have left their monkeys in Cibubur forest
\nfollowing the government's campaign against illegally kept
\nmonkeys. "Not only black or gray long-tailed monkeys but also
\nshort-tailed macaques have been left here," he said.<\/p>\n
He added that the presence of monkeys in this area was
\ntroublesome for the management and also for visitors, who total
\nsome 10,000 to 15,000 people a week.<\/p>\n
"The management of the area does not really understand how to
\nhandle and control the monkeys as their number continues to grow.
\nIf they are hungry, they will bother the visitors or leave this
\narea."<\/p>\n
Some monkeys, he said, had caused trouble for people living in
\nthe employees' housing compound. "Luckily, many visitors have
\nfood for them, such as bread, nuts, biscuits and bananas. Food is
\nalso thrown from cars to the monkeys at the front gate, near the
\ntoll road," he said.<\/p>\n
In 2004, he said, the management reported this matter to the
\nJakarta office of the Natural Resources Conservation Agency
\n(BKSDA) of the ministry of forestry. However, they did not get
\nany response.<\/p>\n
The management has also written a letter to the management of
\nRagunan Zoo in Pasar Minggu, asking for help to handle the monkey
\nproblem.<\/p>\n
"However, the zoo simply carried out a survey here," Boeddy
\nsaid. "I once suggested that the monkeys be moved to other
\nplaces, but we don't have the money and don't know the correct
\nway to do that," he said, adding that nobody had tried to hunt or
\ndisturb the monkeys staying in the camping ground.<\/p>\n
Primatologist from National University Jakarta, Drs. Imran SL.
\nTobing, Ssi, said that long-tailed monkeys were not protected by
\nthe government.<\/p>\n
Hardy survivors<\/p>\n
They are found in Sumatra, Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara and
\nKalimantan. In some areas, they are considered a pest as they
\noften damage people's plantations. Long-tailed monkeys are greedy
\ncreatures," he said. "They are omnivorous -- fruit, the tips of
\nleaves, people's leftovers and even trash -- it's all tasty to
\nthem," Imran said.<\/p>\n
They are superior to other species of monkeys in that they can
\nsurvive virtually anywhere.<\/p>\n
They live in groups and will split into smaller groups if
\ntheir own group has become too big. In the forest, they are
\npreyed upon by tigers, hawks, owls, monitor lizards, snakes and
\nhuman beings.<\/p>\n
If they live near urban areas, they are threatened by only a
\nfew predators. Undomesticated animals like monkeys play an
\nimportant role in nature. They spread plant seeds, said Imran,
\nwho is a lecturer of animal ecology at the National University
\nschool of biology.<\/p>\n
Over the past decade, the number of long-tailed monkeys has
\nincreased very rapidly. The management of Buperta Pramuka does
\nnot allow these monkeys to be disturbed or taken away. The gray
\nlong-tailed monkeys can be seen between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and
\nalso between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.<\/p>\n
They run about looking for food or play around the front gate,
\nthe parking ground, the yard of the information center or in the
\ngarbage dump.<\/p>\n
Many of them gather by the roadside, looking for food or
\nchasing one another, hopping from one branch to another or even
\nrunning along electricity cables.<\/p>\n
Most of the monkeys are tame and not scared by the presence of
\nhuman beings.<\/p>\n
They will often approach people who are carrying food or a
\ndrink. Scores of them will move closer and closer, lured by the
\nsmell or shiny packaging of food items.<\/p>",
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