Bali’s other monkey forest

Every day, more than 3000 tourists flock to the Ubud Monkey Forest. A 10ha sanctuary with three Hindu temples from the 14th century, it is home to more than 1200 long-tailed macaques, one of five monkey species found in Bali. Considered sacred animals and guardian spirits by the Balinese, monkeys symbolise harmony between humans and nature in the Balinese Hindu religion.

But with so many people and monkeys in one place, the Ubud Monkey Forest can feel more like an amusement park than a wildlife sanctuary. The “human-interaction overload” often results in aggressive behaviour among primates, most recently in June when Australian tourist Jami Groves reported being bitten and saddled with a $6000 bill for rabies shots.

It was not a one-off incident. Every year, reports of serious bites and scratches incurred at the Ubud Monkey Forest make headlines.

There is, however, another monkey sanctuary in Bali that is larger, attracts far fewer visitors and offers a more intimate semi-wildlife experience.

Set in the lush green lowlands of Abiansemal District, about 40 minutes drive from Ubud, the Sangeh Monkey Forest is home to an estimated 700 monkeys that spend their days scurrying around a 17th-century Hindu temple and scaling 300-year-old nutmeg trees.

The former royal garden for the Mengwi Kingdom, it draws a few hundred visitors a day, including Balinese couples who come here for pre-wedding photo shoots.

Sangeh is kept clean, with visible bins, while attendants carry slingshots for emergencies. This has drawn the ire of some tourists and animal welfare activists. But just the site of the slingshot being drawn will make every monkey in the immediate area run for cover into the forest.

The result is that the monkeys are much better behaved than they are at Ubud. And while reports of monkey bites at Sangeh are not unheard of, they are rare. I could find mention of only one online.

fact file

+ The Sangeh Monkey Forest is on Jalan (street) Brahmana, Abiansemal.

+ Opening hours are 8am to 5pm.

+ Entrance fee is $3 for adults or $1.50 for children.

HELP FEED HUNGRY MONKEYS

The monkeys at Ubud and Sangeh monkey forests are fed a nutritious diet of sweet potatoes, bananas, papaya leaves and seasonal fruit, bought with funds raised from ticket sales.

Many monkeys in Bali are less fortunate, including those living at Pura Geger Beach in Nusa Dua, an enclave of five-star resorts and golf courses on the island’s south coast. Overdevelopment has seen many of Nusa Dua’s fruit trees cut down and, as a result, local monkey populations are hungry.

“The monkeys in Nusa Dua are in a very different condition from the monkeys at Sangeh and Ubud. No one protects them, no one feeds them. The trees they normally depend on are nearly all gone, so they run around the street starving and raid local people’s houses looking for food,” says Tio Russ, an Indonesian animal welfare activist in Bali who runs a shelter for more than 500 dogs.

Tio has taken it upon herself to feed the monkeys of Nusa Dua. Twice a week, she drives down there with a car full of vegetables. But with no government support, she relies entirely on donations. You can help by making a donation to her PayPal account at tyoros.id@gmail.com. For more information, visit instagram.com/tio_russ.