By Yasmin Ramlan
SHAH ALAM, Jan 27 — In the vibrant residential area of D’Rimba, adjacent to the Kota Damansara Community Forest, urban encroachment has led to an intense struggle between human inhabitants and local wildlife, particularly endangered long-tailed macaques.
Once thriving in their natural habitat, these intelligent primates are now frequently seen scavenging for food amid the homes of residents and surrounding areas, driven by the loss of their former territory to relentless development.
The lush greenery that once provided a sanctuary for these creatures is now mixed with roads and buildings, forcing them into closer contact with humans.
This conflict highlights a critical issue — as urban sprawl continues to expand, the delicate balance between human needs and wildlife conservation becomes increasingly strained.
The Kota Damansara Community Forest, today encompassing just over 800 acres of lowland dipterocarp forest, serves as a vital green lung for the Greater Kuala Lumpur area and is one of the few remaining green areas in the Klang Valley.
It is a refuge not only for macaques but also for myriad flora and fauna that rely on this ecosystem for survival.
For residents, many are becoming increasingly aware of the plight of these animals, recognising their role in maintaining biodiversity and the health of their environment, although some continue to express concerns over wildlife encroachment.
“Residents must learn to live in harmony with the natural world and coexist with our wildlife neighbours,” Wong Ee Lynn, a long-time D’Rimba resident, told Selangor Journal.
“Long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques have been living in the Kota Damansara Community Forest since before the construction of D’Rimba and other apartment complexes in the vicinity of the forest.”
D’Rimba is a five-storey condominium complex built in 2007 that offers a blend of modern living within a rapidly developing area that was once primarily forested. The area has undergone significant transformation since its development began in the early 1990s, when the region was part of the Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve — one of Malaysia’s oldest protected areas.
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Image for illustration purposes only. — Picture via UNSPLASH/MIRIAM G[/caption]
Humane solutions
Wong, who is also Kota Damansara Community Forest Society member, highlighted two main contributors to the human-wildlife conflict in D’Rimba, namely, the feeding of macaques by irresponsible humans and the open-door disposal rooms, which attract animals and pose cleanliness problems.
“A small group of residents have been feeding the macaques, causing them to lose their instinctual fear of humans and traffic, and associate people with food,” she said.
Wong pointed out that feeding wildlife poses several other significant risks, including making them more vulnerable to poisoning and poaching by those with cruel intentions. It also encourages dependence on high-calorie, unhealthy human food, increasing the likelihood of food poisoning, health complications, and even choking on plastic-wrapped items.
This concern was starkly illustrated in a recent viral video that sparked outrage across social media platforms in Malaysia, in which a man was seen feeding monkeys ice cream laced with poison, claiming it was a method to control the “neighbourhood pests”.
He explicitly admitted to mixing the poison, identified as “Crodex”, into the ice cream to kill the animals, asserting that their increasing numbers could lead to property damage and other issues for residents.
The incident has drawn backlash from animal rights groups and netizens, with many condemning the man’s actions as cruel and abusive towards protected wildlife.
Wong, who is also Malaysian Nature Society’s Selangor chapter acting chair, said rather than resorting to drastic measures, the community advocates for humane solutions to manage the conflict, emphasising coexistence over eradication.
“The Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) has set up monkey traps within the grounds of the apartment complex,” she said, but noted that the move has upset many residents, who believe the macaques are not to blame for encroaching human habitation.
Additionally, non-governmental organisations such as Animal Neighbours Project have proposed replacing the open waste collection rooms with macaque-proof bins, although Wong said implementing this solution on a large scale suitable for a big apartment complex may be challenging and costly.
“We must remember that macaques are great problem-solvers and imitators,” she said.
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Image for illustration purposes only. — Picture via UNSPLASH/DAVID CLODE[/caption]
Urbanisation v wildlife conservation
D’Rimba residents are not the only ones facing problems with wildlife.
According to the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (Isis) Malaysia, rapid urbanisation, particularly in the Klang Valley, has significantly contributed to the rise of human-wildlife conflicts.
News reports citing Isis indicate there have been 57,000 such conflicts over the past five years, marking a 40 per cent increase from the previous half-decade, highlighting the growing impact of urban development on wildlife habitats.
Residents of Taman Yarl, Kuala Lumpur, are facing a similar predicament to those in D’Rimba, dealing with “uninvited” wildlife encounters — not just with civets (musang), but also the seasonal appearances of reticulated pythons.
Speaking to Selangor Journal, Seputeh Residents Representative Council chairman Alvin T. Ariaratnam said civets have become a common sight, prompting frequent calls to the Civil Defence Force (APM) for assistance, with some residents even resorting to setting their own traps.
The situation becomes even more challenging during the monsoon season. Heavy rain drives snakes from surrounding areas, and slither into the neighbourhood through drains, seeking refuge in the urban environment.
But while some residents take issue with the uninvited wildlife, others express sympathy for the civets, especially when they are seen with their young. These nocturnal creatures, often spotted traveling along the high cables of the residential area at midnight, are a reminder of the delicate balance between urban development and the natural world.
“Sometimes, they damage roofs, with the larger civets even breaking tiles when they run across them, causing leaks in the homes below. But we understand the civets are simply seeking food, especially in homes with banana trees.”
Ariaratnam said residents reach out to the APM as they trust the authorities will relocate these animals, particularly the more intimidating pythons from the nearby Kampung Muhibbah, to a more suitable habitat.
Taman Yarl, located near the border of Selangor, is less than 5km from Kampung Muhibbah, a village with a mix of older homes and newer developments. In contrast, the more opulent Taman Yarl features a blend of spacious bungalows, semi-detached homes, and high-rises.
This proximity highlights the region’s diverse living conditions, where urbanisation meets traditional lifestyles, and underscores the challenges residents face as wildlife encounters increase due to habitat disruption.
[caption id="attachment_371079" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]
Selangor Wildlife and National Parks Department personnel with the saltwater crocodile caught at the Section 7 lake in Shah Alam, on September 4, 2024. The male reptile, weighing 20kg, measuring 1.68m, and estimated to be between three to five years old, may have became disoriented due to recent flooding, which could have caused it to move through water channels into the lake. — Picture by BERNAMA[/caption]
Living in harmony
Both Wong and Ariaratnam emphasised the need for effective, humane solutions to dealing with wildlife encroachment, such as prohibiting open feeding and installing animal-proof waste bins.
This is particularly vital seeing the concerns faced by families with children and pets, Ariaratnam said, as residents grapple with the dilemma of protecting their loved ones while considering the well-being of these wild animals.
Despite this, he said the community remains committed to peaceful coexistence, preferring to monitor civets rather than resorting to lethal measures.
Meanwhile, Wong said most D’Rimba residents have accepted the presence of the macaques as part of living next to a forest reserve, choosing neither to feed nor harass them, although some remain stubborn.
“I believe the solution lies in strictly prohibiting feeding, installing macaque-proof bins, and keeping the area around the forest litter-free,” she said.
She added that the Forestry Department added hooks and latches to all the waste bins at the Kota Damansara Community Forest, but macaques learned to open them.
“As such, we recommend visitors to the forest take all their litter with them. However, this isn’t feasible at D’Rimba, so we may need to explore the cost of installing foot pedal-operated, spring-loaded waste bin doors that are too heavy for the macaques to open on their own.”
