Most people would be terrified when encountering free-roaming monkeys. These include customers at a Shell petrol station in Jalan Kelawai, Georgetown, Penang, who were allegedly “disturbed” by a dusky leaf monkey, or lotong, recently.
Due to this, several respondents from the Bagan Jermal Fire and Rescue Station went to the scene to capture it.
However, the monkey appeared innocent and well-behaved in a firefighter’s arms after it was caught, as seen in a TikTok post on Tuesday (13 Jan).
In the video, one of the firefighters is seen cradling the monkey in his arms as other officers fawn over it.
While it had conducted mischief just moments earlier, it laid there quietly as it received affection.
Source: @abg.siasat.aa on TikTok
The firefighter explained that the monkey had pulled a customer’s leg, presumably trying to climb it.
Despite its antics, the officers noted that the monkey is “very affectionate” and behaves “like a person”.
Notably, they were also treating the small primate like a baby and speaking to it as such.
Source: @abg.siasat.aa on TikTok
The firefighter holding the monkey even asked, “If I massage it, will it burp?”
After catching the animal, firefighters released it into its natural habitat.
Taken by the monkey’s cuteness, many netizens expressed that they find it hard to believe that it had been causing mischief.
Translation: When the one being slandered is being held like a baby, you don’t know whether to believe the allegations.
Source: TikTok
Some noted that the animal looked like the firefighter’s child by the way he was holding it, with one user jokingly telling the officer to adopt it.
Translation: The child is really spoiled by his father.
Source: TikTok
Meanwhile, others believe that since lotongs are usually docile, he may have only pulled on the customer’s leg to ask for food.
A user added that monkeys are left with no choice but to take food from humans as their natural habitats have been turned into oil palm plantations.
Translation: We are turning the forest into an oil palm plantation. There is no food source for monkeys in the forest that has been turned into an oil palm plantation. I hope the relevant authorities plant trees that are a source of food for monkeys in the remaining forests, so that they don’t rob people’s gardens and homes.
Source: TikTok
Also read: Monkey eats huat kueh on overhead bridge in Bukit Timah while lepak-ing & watching cars go by
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Featured image adapted from @abg.siasat.aa on TikTok.