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| Luncheon:
A ranger feeds monkeys living in Can Gio
mangrove forest. Visitors find the monkeys’
feeding time amusing, as long as they keep
their own belongings secure. — VNA/VNS Photo |
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In
an otherwise tranquil mangrove forest, visitors must be prepared
for the mischievous antics of its monkey population. Tri Binh
reports.
Thuy
Lan and her two daughters had been warned that the monkeys of
southern Can Gio mangrove forest were mischievous.
But their eventual encounter
dampened their eagerness about meeting the creatures in the wild.
"They took our motorbikes
keys, our hats and some even tried to snatch our handbags,"
laments Lan, 43, from HCM City.
Lan and her daughters had wanted to
do no more than sample the tranquil beauty of the mangroves, just
50km south of the city for themselves.
It was almost perfect – except
for the monkeys.
The 50,000ha of the 70,000 Can Gio
forest that is mangrove was declared part of the World's Biosphere
by the United Nations' Education, Science and Culture Organisation
(UNESCO) two years ago.
The salt water trees sprawl along a
secluded coast that is little affected by traffic on a newly-built
road on the opposite bank of the Sai Gon River, across from HCM
City. The road then crosses an expanse of marsh dotted with a few
thatched roofed huts.
"It's like another
planet," says a woman who has spent most of her life in a
narrow, crowded alley of HCM City's Phu Nhuan District.
The enthusiasm of both Lan and her
daughters for their forest wanderings dissipated as soon as they
were ambushed by the monkeys.
"They came from
everywhere" says Lan.
"But we didn't know they were
there until they jumped out of the underbrush on either side of
the path into the forest."
Regular visitors to the forest go
well prepared to deal with the clever animals. They make sure they
keep their food and personal belongings very secure.
Can Gio Reserve deputy director Cat
Van Thanh says the monkeys were first introduced in the forest 10
years ago as pets of the rangers. But as their numbers multiplied
they were turned loose because they could no longer be fed.
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Monkeying
around
The
enthusiasm of both Lan and her daughters for
their forest wanderings dissipated as soon as
they were ambushed by the monkeys.
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It is much the same on several
islands off the central coast and in World Heritage-listed Ha Long
Bay, north of Ha Noi.
A 10-minute ride by an
outboard-motor driven dinghy from Nha Trang is Hon Lao Island, a
paradise of small animals, birds and monkeys.
It vibrates with the chirping of
birds and the cries of monkeys.
But it's unwise to journey far
without a guide.
Like other monkey islands, Hon Lao
served as a laboratory where monkeys were used by scientists from
the former Soviet Union.
The first monkeys arrived in 1987
and were freed in 1990.
Most of the older animals still
carry their tags that made it easier for the rangers to monitor
them.
The island became a monkey kingdom
in 1995 when the 14 farming families living there returned to the
mainland.
The monkeys are Macaca Rhesus and
live in a highly hierarchical society where each member knows
their place.
They are estimated to number more
than 800 and are divided into three groups, each in its own
territory.
Fights between males for supremacy
are frequent with the vanquished living a solitary life or
recruiting vagabonds to his cause.
Few visitors see these battles for
power but they can be attacked as unwanted intruders.
The evidence is rows of coconut
palms that never bear ripened fruit.
"The monkeys are devils,"
says a guide. "They pick the fruit as soon as it is as big as
a tennis ball and throw it at visitors from the tree tops."
Many visitors have suffered head
injuries.
But the most troubling incident was
the disappearance of an international visitor's radio.
He accused the guides of theft and
it was only when they all heard the voice of Britney Spears
wafting through the trees singing, Baby One More Time that they
realised that the radio had a new owner. — VNS
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