RECENTLY, in the early hours just before the city fully awakened, a crowd gathered at Ruang by Think City, located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
The many attendees, young and old, assembled to get a glimpse of celebrated English primatologist and anthropologist, Dr Jane Goodall.
“This is only my third time in Malaysia,” said the foremost expert on chimpanzees. She was here to officially launch Project Monyet, an exhibition featuring photographs taken by noted photographer Peter Ong, 43, and a series of talks that revolves around the subject of primates in Malaysia.
The goal of the event was to raise awareness on Malaysia’s primates, their habitats, and the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that champion them.
Among the NGOs highlighted at the event were the Malaysian Primatological Society, Macaca Nemestrina Project, langur Project Penang, Gibbon Rehabilitation Project, and Free Tree Society.
The Project Monyet exhibition features 14 of the 25 species of primates in Malaysia. Our country is also one of only five countries in the world where members of the five primate families call home.
Project Monyet is free to the public, and is opened from 10am to 5pm daily until Nov 28.
When asked what Malaysia can do to preserve its unique diversity of primates, Goodall noted that conservation is critical.
“I am not an expert on Malaysia’s wildlife. I came not to teach, but to learn,” she added.
Goodall, who was in Malaysia representing Roots and Shoots, a youth-led action programme that she founded, also said recently in a talk that forest burning for the sake of palm oil must be stopped. She explained that burning is killing the orangutan, as it is destroying their habitat.
Among the photos exhibited are of the Maroon Surili, Silvery Lutung, Lar Gibbon, East Bornean Grey Giboon, Southern Pig-Tailed Macaque, Proboscis Monkey, and the Orangutan.
Speaking about the photographs that he had taken for Project Monyet, Ong explained that he camped for seven nights in a dense forest and walked for eight hours just to get the pictures.
To him, it was all just part of the challenge of being a photographer.
