I WAS at the Botanical Gardens on Nov 27 and was horrified at what has happened to it. The place is a mess and Penangites should voice out about it.

The Gardens is one of the landmarks of Penang and should be prided as one of our main attractions. However, what is happening there does not reflect this.

When I was there, I saw two men feeding the monkeys with old bananas and there was a big crowd watching. I alerted the guard on duty at the guardhouse which was only 10m from the scene.

He said this was allowed and did not do anything about it. But there were notice boards everywhere informing the public not to feed the monkeys.

The monkeys lose their foraging instincts if they are fed by people going to the Gardens. Moreover, they become ferocious and attack anybody with plastic bags because they think it contains food. Who is to be blamed? The monkeys or the people?

LS Chong
Via email

Source: The Sun – November 30, 2009