"He is my hands," explains Haji Endut."Maybe I need him more than he needs me".These pig tailed macaques - called 'beruk' in the local dialect - have an almost theatrical relationship with their masters - involving acrobatics,danger and drama in their 'training'."I give my monkeys affection every day.I sit with them , we groom one another.We share fruit or walk to the river together to bathe" Haji Endut adds .These macaques have become the backbone of harvesting millions of coconuts each year across a belt of land stretching from the east coast of Malaysia across to the Sulu Isles.They can work almost anytime.On a good day a macaque can harvest up to 600 coconuts working 5 to 6 hours at a stretch.They tear through the tops of 30 to 40 foot palms throwing down coconuts like rain in a monsoon.These monkeys are captured whilst very young even as early as in their nursing days and 'apprenticed' to their masters , who build with their charges a bond of companionship and partnering , not pets , that holds out throughout their lives.They ( the macaques ) often face considerable risk as they scramble up the palms and the thatch at the top often hosts ants , bees , scorpions and even snakes.
[ Photo : RD ]
The biggest mistake people make in life is not making a living at doing what they most enjoy. - Malcolm S. Forbes (1919-1990)
Building Your Own
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