Gentle silver leaf monkeys

Up-close-and-personal with wild animals is really a great thrill to me, such as touching and caressing the cheetahs in South Africa; kangroos, koalas, wombats in Australia; Tasmanian devils, wallaby, possums in Tasmania; orang utans, proboscis monkeys in Kuching and Sabah; honey bear, deer, elephants in Kuala Gandah; tigers and giraffs in Chiengmai; penguins in South Africa and New Zealand, sea lions and seals in Kangroo Island in South Australia, and I dream to play and hold the pandas in China one day ( I have seen two in Beijing zoo but that doesn't count).

On 6 November 2010 (Saturday) I took Kak Nor (my sister-in-law from Adelaide) to Bukit Melawati, a serene place in Kuala Selangor which I have been some years back. Kak Nor and I encountered up-close-and- personal with the silver leaf monkeys or langurs which are known for being non-aggressive, polite and gentle, unlike their cousins, the macaques.






Kak Nor is having a conversation with a silver leaf monkey.








At the tram stop on the hill, silver leaf monkeys gathered and lined on the road barricade/ railings waiting for visitirs to give them food.
They didn't grab, steal or being aggressive to get the food handed out by visitors. Many just waited patiently. Being vegetarian, they love the long beans which were sold by a local peddler for Rm 1.00 for a small bundle. I brought bread instead and they just loved it too.














Peacfully eating on the road barricade with their long tails hanging down.

















These silver leaf monkeys are beautiful creatures with silvery long body hair and spike hairdos. They are so gentle and so well-behaved.


The beauty queen.








Cozily touching and holding his/her partner just like the couple next to them.












One mother silver leaf monkey chose me to hang around for the bread that I dished out for her. Her young orange coloured baby, at first hang on tight on her belly and the mother was quite protective, grabing her everytime the baby moved away.







Finally I sat on the road, talking softly to her while feeding her. She let me touch her and her baby. She waited patiently while I tried to take more bread out of my bag.









The great thrill was, she allowed me to caress her and her baby who was restless, jumping all over the place and on my lap while pulling and chewing on the string of my handbag. It was sheer pleasure to have this opportunity. Unfortunately, the tram came along and we had to move out of the way and my mother and baby silver leaf monkey left me for other hands to feed her. But I was grateful for the honour and experience they gave me.
These silver leaf monkeys moved in group of families and are very protective of their young.






I marvel at God's creation to see the babies are orange gold in colour and changed to dark silver when they grow older. Both their feet and hands are black.












A mother silver leaf monkey with her twin babies.












One old silver leaf monkey ( must be a grandpa) just sat at the end of a tree branch watching the goings on. He didn't get down to get food from visitors as the others did, just sat and watched.
There were a few macaques monkeys around (thank God, not many) and they were real rascals. They stole a bag of food which belonged to two young girls who were engrossed watching me talking to the silver leaf monkey. It tore the bag, scattered the contents and when one of the girls attempted to take the plastic bag, the macaques barred his teeth threateningly. It wasn't a nice picture.
So, if you have time and enjoy animals, please visit Bukit Melawati. I took about 2 hours from Petaling Jaya, with leisurely drive to reach there.
But don't waste time to visit the Taman Alam or to see the aquarium. It's a great disappointment. It was pathetic and poorly maintained. It's such a pity, a nice nature park, so pretty but being neglected. The only attraction is the lotus pond.








On week days you can drive up and there is a nice rest house to have lunch. On weekends, a tram is provided costing RM 3.00 return but no cars are allowed on the hill.