Usually existing in peaceful co-existence with the
local people and the tourists, these simian range wars have been
due to the disastrous effects of the global pandemic lockdown
A rare and sacred white monkey was discovered covered in
wounds last month in Pecatu Village, South Kuta.
That’s Uluwatu, by the way.
Most people in the area consider this rare white monkey as the
sacred manifestation of Hanuman, the clever hero of their religious
folklore.
And the death or even minor injuries to this primate forebode
disaster for the village.
And it seems they were right about the disaster part.
The white monkey suffered these injuries in clashes between the
seven separate troupes of monkeys that inhabit the area surrounding
Uluwatu. Usually existing in peaceful co-existence with the local
people and the tourists, these simian range wars have been due to
the disastrous effects of the global pandemic lockdown
The ever-present monkeys are usually both the delight and the
bane of travelers with their clever thieving ways (The monkeys, not
the tourists). But during the Covid era the marauding primates have
had to rely on means other than the easy pickin’s from the tourists
and the temple caretakers who feed them.
Emboldened by the lack of the usual human presence, the troupes
have been forced to organize territorial raids on each others
resources and on private villas in the area. Clearing the fruit off
the trees of properties and anything else they could make off with.
Outdoor picnics became primary targets in many neighborhoods.
Home invasions have been reported by a number of cliffside
residents who have open plan villas or have left their dwelling
windows and doors open.
One Aussie surfer returned to his rental villa and found “that
they had opened my fridge and were having a hell of good time.
Thank God they left the beer”.
To surfers, these wild monkeys have been an integral part of the
Uluwatu experience. From the time of Morning of the
Earth to our current days, the kinship surfers share with
these animals is easy to see.
It was surfers who created the tourist industry of the Bukit
Peninsula, changing the wild, natural monkey culture forever. And
the ever-present monkeys, seemingly as carefree and as focused on
simple pleasures as the surfers themselves, have always lent an
exotic vibe to the cosmic tropical freedom that all surfers seek in
Bali.
The good news is that extremely rare, and badly wounded white
monkey has been captured and treated and is healing from his last
campaign.
With tourist numbers rising as fast as a fever, a ceasefire
agreement has apparently been established between the monkey
troupes and new territorial boundaries have been agreed upon.
It seems it is time for all the monkeys of the Uluwatu area to
heal from the wages of war.
And look to a brighter future as surfers pour back in and
contribute to the balance that is so vital to the island’s
culture.
Peace has fallen once again upon Uluwatu and the harmonious, if
unspoken, agreements between man and beast are once again moving in
greased grooves.
Says one village leader “I know the recovery of the white monkey
is a positive sign. I hope we can all rise up together, the
surfers, the monkey’s, the waves and us, and that the economy will
come back and that all of us can recover from the disastrous
conditions we have suffered”.