This is gonna sound insane but I was threatened and ‘jumped’ by a huuuuuge monkey today.
I was walking out of the Kota Damansara Community Forest, NOT taking the usual way out (which passes through the ‘intersection’ where Left is towards the Peak and Right is towards the mini-waterfall). I was going out via the Salleh trail (I think la, could be wrong) but it’s the path which snakes past the ponds (see the map, I’ve circled in red the area where the incident occurred).
Anyway, as I was walking along the path — with the bicycle trail visible on my left — I saw a two larger-than-par monkeys walking up the slope and crossing the path in front of me.
(Note: I went back and googled the pic from memory and it’s a pig-tailed macaque. Thing is this beast was as tall as the average human teenager so he looks MUCH bigger from what you see on google if you search for ‘macaque’ . Also, macaques are those tiny ‘cute’ monkeys you see when you go up to Batu Caves but THESE two looked like they drank some mutant juice or something).
I slowed down and waited, hoping the pair would move on up the slope. But lo and behold the bigger of them (the male?) turned, looked at me and started walking towards me.
Holy crapola! Where is Rambo when you need him?!
I started walking BACKWARDS, hoping the fella will just stop and go back — but he continued walking towards me.
So, in half-panic, I quickly turned left and started to off the trail, and down the slope towards the bicycle path.
AND THE MACHO MACAQUE MONKEY CONTINUED FOLLOWING ME!!!
I started running!
And guess what happened? That psycho joker LEAPT at me and landed along a tree just 4–5 feet away!
I lifted my right arm in some pseudo-Jackie Chan dragon fist BS defense posture (note that my left arm is recovering from a dislocation so it’s worse than useless), and started shouting and growling(!) at the fella!
We stared at each other for about 2 seconds, by this time I’m panicking like a baboon in serious heat, so I RANNNNNNNNN down the bicycle path, grabbed a stick and turned it towards this would-be King Kong!
I kept walking, half-running (tired mah) onwards, the macaque went back up the slope but ‘trailed’ me from on high.
A few minutes later I was nearing the clearing and the guy was nowhere to be seen.
I later relayed the incident to the makcik selling air tembikai and she told me yes, she’s seen that big fella before too. Sometimes he comes out to the clearing and looks out.
Her cryptic words which were 100% true: BUKAN DIA TAKUT KITA, KITA TAKUT DIA!
Also, if anything had happened to me it wouldn’t be the first time monkeys have attacked humans.
So here’s a quick PSA:
1. If you’re walking alone, and unless you’re a professional monkey-hunter, maybe do NOT take this trail unless you absolutely have to
2. To take this trail, ensure at least 2–3 pax are with you (and one of them has a bazooka)
