This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on September 16, 2024 - September 22, 2024

Initially drawn to forensic and crime science because of her passion for criminology, Yap Jo Leen shifted gears after her first job as a scientific officer at the Dark Cave conservation site. This experience ignited her dedication to championing the cause of one of Malaysia’s endangered species, the dusky leaf monkey.

“I wasn’t looking into environmentalism, especially during my college years. During my two years in New Zealand [where she did an exchange programme for her undergraduate degree], I gained a passion for environmentalism. It kind of affirmed to me that I wanted to do something with a combination of conservation and ecotou­rism,” says Yap Jo Leen, wildlife researcher and head of Langur Project Penang (LPP).

Founded in January 2016 as part of her master’s degree thesis, LPP is a community science-based outreach initiative to bridge the gap between primate conservation and the community in Malaysia.

“My job scope [then] included utilising data in environmental education and organising conservation education programmes and workshops for adults and children. It built my confidence in science communication and conservation efforts,” says Yap.

After relocating from the Dark Cave conservation site, 34-year-old Yap became fascinated by dusky langurs, also known as dusky leaf monkeys or Trachypithecus obscurus. Her interest deepened as she worked closely with a fellow researcher from Universiti Sains Malaysia, based in Penang, where sightings of this endangered species were common.

“The endangered monkey species is one of at least 120 species of primates found in Southeast Asia, East Asia and the Indian subcontinent. They live in islands like Penang, Langkawi, Pulau Perhentian and Pangkor,” says Yap.

In collaboration with governmental bodies, educational institutions and non-governmental organisations in Malaysia, LPP’s vision is to foster coexistence among humans and urban wildlife through citizen science-based fieldwork capacity building, environmental education and conservation efforts.

Yap notes that the dusky langurs are an endangered species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. However, there is still a lack of research and conservation efforts on the species’ ecology, behaviour and life history.

“The dusky langurs’ current population trend is decreasing due to threats such as residential development, roads, agriculture, negative human-primate interface and illegal wildlife pet trade. And that’s why awareness is important,” she adds.

She observes that the illegal wildlife trade involving dusky langurs is rampant, with poachers targeting infants, recognisable by their bright orange-tawny fur,  in particular.

“Buyers find the orange fur and human-baby-like features attractive. Once the monkeys reach a certain age where it turns brown or black, people tend to abandon them due to the fact that the monkeys start to follow their wild instincts and human owners would not want that,” she laments.

Illegal wildlife trade has been made more accessible by social media platforms. Some of these monkeys are even sold through e-commerce sites.

“You’ll be surprised at how cheaply you can purchase a dusky langur. It can go as low as RM600 and the highest price we have observed on social media for the baby dusky langurs can go from RM1,500 to RM2,000,” she says.

Inadequate laws and weak enforcement result in primates being traded actively online in Malaysia. According to an investigation by environmental news portal Macaranga, the Wildlife Conservation Act previously focused on unauthorised wildlife possession but did not cover online trading, allowing sellers to evade prosecution by using third-party shippers.

Yap says she frequently receives messages from the public on how to save or help a baby dusky langur that is on the forest floor or abandoned by the side of the road.

“Give them [the dusky langurs] some time; the mom would come down to pick up the baby. Sometimes, because there are too many people around, it creates distraction and disturbance for the mothers to come to pick up their babies,” she says.

“As for those on the roads or near residential areas, if Perhilitan is not able to come to the scene immediately, what you can do is seek permission from Perhilitan to bring the babies to the nearest certified wildlife veterinarians. This is a temporary measure to mitigate any potential harm.”

Due to urbanisation and the clearing of forests, primates usually become the victims of road kill. To address this issue, Yap and her team at LPP installed an artificial canopy bridge dubbed “Ah Lai’s Crossing” in Teluk Bahang, Penang.

“We aim to install three new canopy bridges between 2023 and 2027 and, at the same time, to work closely with the local community to develop a management plan for sustainable approaches to mitigate negative human-primate interactions in Penang,” says Yap. 

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