A coconut picker came riding a motorcycle, with an adult macaque sitting in the basket. As soon as the car stopped, the monkey jumped out of the basket and kept patrolling under the coconut trees, as if that was its territory, but it couldn’t go far because there was a rope tied around its neck, about twenty meters long, that is its range of activities.
Traveling along the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, you will always be accompanied by the coconut breeze. Outside the car window, between the sky and the earth, the sea and the shore, there are always coconut trees. The local coconut trees grow very tall and densely if left unchecked. We are always used to seeing it from a distance, or a direct perspective. Stop the car, walk into the coconut grove, and look up. Some groups of trees can form a unique scenery. There are many coconuts on the trees, and the sea breeze caresses them gently, making a soft rustling sound. Standing under the trees, you can be drenched in the whirling coconut rain.
Coconut is a treasure. Fruit pulp and coconut milk are indispensable and important ingredients in local cuisine. Coconut water is also good for relieving the heat. Coconut shells can be used as fuel. Even the leaves can be used to make Ketupat, build houses and skewer satay. It is impossible not to admire human wisdom from a coconut.
Work hard to climb a tree in one second
Kelantan and Terengganu have a tradition of training monkeys to pick coconuts. I casually asked the hotel attendant where I could see them. She said they were found in the kampungs. I originally wanted to drive there myself, but when I was having breakfast, the waiter came and reported that the monkeys were fast. When they came, they actually asked their friends to bring the monkey to me and perform its professional work. Monkeys are as afraid of heat as humans and prefer to work in the morning and evening.
A coconut picker came riding a motorcycle, with an adult macaque sitting in the basket. As soon as the car stopped, the monkey jumped out of the basket and kept patrolling under the coconut trees, as if that was its territory, but it couldn’t go far because there was a rope tied around its neck, about twenty meters long, that is its range of activities. The monkey is very strong, with a majestic posture and expression. Its hair is soft, fluffy, and even shiny. It seems that it has been well cared for.
As soon as he loosened the rope on his hand, the monkey climbed onto the coconut tree in one second. He seemed to be an old employee. It doesn’t need instructions or tools, it just starts to twist and turn a few times and kicks the coconut off with its feet. Judging from its serious look, it may have already accepted its fate. It could have been free to move around in the jungle for food and fun. Now it has an owner, three meals a day are guaranteed, and it is also a way to live. If it can choose, it will What kind of life do you want to live? This is not just a problem for monkeys.
Collect 30 coconuts in half an hour
Monkey keepers will select underage male monkeys and send them to specialized personnel for training. The instructor is usually an experienced monkey keeper, and the training lasts for about two weeks, mainly divided into two stages: under the tree and on the tree. The trainer first puts a coconut in front of the monkey so that it becomes interested in the coconut and learns how to twist the coconut in its hand. The monkeys are then trained with about 30 voice commands, which are combined with facial expressions and gestures to represent different actions, such as twisting, picking, jumping, and even kicking. Some well-trained monkeys don’t even need instructions and can get right to work. The monkey farmer said: It works for about half an hour every day and can pick 30 coconuts. During the harvest season, it can pick 300 coconuts in a day.
Among people and animals, the employment relationship that is most criticized by animal lovers is the employment relationship, which is usually a tradition that lasts for many years, such as cormorants and otters on the Li River and Bangladesh rivers that fish for fishermen. People are paying more and more attention to the rights of animals. Thai coconut farmers who use monkeys to collect coconuts are often criticized because there have been investigative reports stating that local monkeys are used as slaves to collect coconuts, and the working and living conditions are very poor. They have called on businesses to Many British supermarkets responded to the boycott of Thai coconut products and removed coconut milk, coconut milk and coconut oil produced in Thailand from their shelves.
