"Killer Monkey" And Media Sensationalism

Malaysiakini Letter By Shenaaz Khan

I wish to refer to the report, 'Killer monkey' in a local daily . The header itself reeks of irresponsible and ignorant sensationalism. 

The editorial inferred that the simian, with its shaman like powers had, 'abducted, bit and then dropped' the four-day-old infant to its death. Yes, abducted! Not kidnapped, because that would entail the monkey demanding a ransom!

With its ''Dingo-ate-my-baby'' reporting, the paper has criminally implicated a monkey in a death and has therefore flagrantly painted a vicious and barbaric picture of an otherwise innocent wild animal. The aforementioned monkey, regardless of the report, had no malicious intention to kill the toddler.

Had that been the case, then shouldn't the monkey have been arrested, questioned, beaten in custody, coerced into a confession, then given an unjust trial? It. Is. A. Monkey! Not some common criminal. Its behavioural characteristics map its actions. 

Its needs don't go beyond eating, mating and protecting.

Unlike human beings, animals are not manipulative, vengeful,selfish, corrupt, insolent or demonic. The mainstream media and the powers that be (they're one souless sloganed entity, by the way) would have you believe that he is evil by his very nature- 'Monkey murderer'... he schemes, he seeks, he slays!! In truth, its 'Hoggish human'......he rapes, he pillages, he destroys.

We selfishly and greedily encroach on the natural habitat of our wildlife yet we have the shameless audacity to ask why we live in a primate climate. Malaysians are constantly griping about having cruddy monkeys invading their backyard. 

Dear Malaysians, you have monkeys in your backyard because you've built your backyard in the monkeys frontyard.

Of course, voices have risen in passionate song to talk about the macaque mayhem that the residents of Happy Gardens have been continously subjected to. And as expected, the trigger- happy authorities responded in the only way they know how- animal annihilation. 

In typical cowboy country fashion, wildlife officers savagely killed then paraded the dead monkey to the press in a display of bruttish bravado.

That begs the question; how did the wildlife officers identify the said monkey as the alleged culprit? Did they comb for footprints of its prehensile feet then match it with the suspicious looking macaque? Did they even consider containing or tranquiilising the wild animal without having to shoot it to death?

No. They. Did. Not. The Wildlife Department, the department entrusted to protect our wildlife, rather preferred to hunt down and crucify the 'murderous' monkey.

I am in no way negating the tragic consequences of this regrettable incident nor the anguish and suffering of the parents. Nor am I denying the involvement of the monkey in this matter. 

An innocent life had been lost; untimely and unfairly. But let us not resort to cheap histrionics disguised as news to sell papers.

Let's us not let the accidental death of one living being justify the merciless killing of another. Let not our emotions cloud the truth of this unfortunate incident.

Instead of depicting the monkey as a debonair terror of Happy Gardens, let us seek to understand what could have led to the painful death of the infant. Why were the family keeping a female macaque as a pet? Did they have a permit to do so?

Did they comprehend the responsibility that comes with owning a wild animal? Did they not know that a female presence would entice any male monkey to come a calling? Why were precautionary measures not taken?

As a person, I sympathise with the grieving family. As an animal lover, I bleed for the dead monkey. As a Malaysian, I mourn the demise of humanity in this country. As a Frenchman once postulated, 'Man, I can assure you, is a nasty animal'.

The writer is president, Malaysian Animal Welfare Society.

TOMORROW: PETPOSITIVE'S STATEMENT ON THE MONKEY INCIDENT.

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