Monkey's Legend

[Stevethongsala]

You know what ? I've made more than a 1 000 km in the jungle on Samui since 5 years ago and i never seen the free monkeys on that jungle. The free monkey's doesn't exist in samui now. In Koh Pha Ngan, you can see them in Haad Rin, Thong Nai Pan and a lot of places around this island.

I've a report with pictures about that, but just in french language : You can see a lot of snake inside.

<link removed>

Enjoy

Edited November 10, 2007 by Totster
Removed link - please see forum rules

[sbk]

Steve, if you are talking about the deleted post regarding monkeys in the flood in Samiu--it was completely made up--not true. No such monkey, no such newspaper. It is against forum rules to troll, which is what that poster was doing by posting such fiction.

However, as to your post, although I have not seen wild monkeys on Koh Phangan that is only because I do not get up early enough in the morning nor trek far enough. Call me lazy

[Stevethongsala]

Steve, if you are talking about the deleted post regarding monkeys in the flood in Samiu--it was completely made up--not true. No such monkey, no such newspaper. It is against forum rules to troll, which is what that poster was doing by posting such fiction.

However, as to your post, although I have not seen wild monkeys on Koh Phangan that is only because I do not get up early enough in the morning nor trek far enough. Call me lazy

No, I've never told that you can see them in my personal link, is just about a lot of trekking that I've made on Samui. You can't see the monkeys inside. However ! On my website about Ko Pha Ngan, you can see them : the macaques

[sbk]

Steve, you must have missed that deleted post then, don't worry, you didn't miss anything other than a load of bull. It wasn't your post I was referring to but rather one by someone else

[Stevethongsala]

Steve, you must have missed that deleted post then, don't worry, you didn't miss anything other than a load of bull. It wasn't your post I was referring to but rather one by someone else

Never mind

[Birdman]

I have organised and guided trekking tours with tourists about 12-15 years ago-from Menam the whole day trekking to Lamai.

There were some butterflies, sometimes birds and ... that was all. No wild monkey.

But I remember the monitor lizards, which were seen from time to time on Samui. They are gone already for some years.

Wildlife is to be seen only in the touristspots nowadays, very sad...

[Stevethongsala]

I have organised and guided trekking tours with tourists about 12-15 years ago-from Menam the whole day trekking to Lamai.

There were some butterflies, sometimes birds and ... that was all. No wild monkey.

But I remember the monitor lizards, which were seen from time to time on Samui. They are gone already for some years.

Wildlife is to be seen only in the touristspots nowadays, very sad...

You can see a lot of big monitor lizards still in samui, the best I've never met was near the waterfall to Nathon and a lot of snakes !

[John 1]

Steve,

15 years ago we cut a tall coconut tree down and when it hit the ground there was a monkey amongst the palm leaves he was dead when the tree hit the ground, this was a small species of monkey and the locals called it a wind monkey and he lives in the tops of coconut trees. I don't know the correct name but for sure someone will know. I would think there are still some on Samui.

[Stevethongsala]

Steve,

15 years ago we cut a tall coconut tree down and when it hit the ground there was a monkey amongst the palm leaves he was dead when the tree hit the ground, this was a small species of monkey and the locals called it a wind monkey and he lives in the tops of coconut trees. I don't know the correct name but for sure someone will know. I would think there are still some on Samui.

I'm sorry John, but i don't think so ! The Thai's people have caught or killed them. I did a lot of trekking alone at day and also at night and i've never seen them in the jungle since 2003, but why not ?

[nod]

Can confirm fairly recent continued existence of monitor lizards on Samui. Saw quite a large one while playing golf about eighteen months ago on Santiburi golf course. I believe there have been quite a few sightings in one particular spot in Samui, but am hesitant to mention it for obvious reasons.

Cheers.

[limbos]

Seen a monitor lizard being bbq'ed over a fire next to the road in one of the side sois in Maenam, a few years ago. Too bad one doesn't see them that much naymore, just like the squirrels.

All eaten by the cheap, imported labor on the island.

Edited November 10, 2007 by limbos

[Mark Wolfe]

Monitor lizards live in the river running into Lamai. You can see them quite often from the bridge near the turn to the market.

If you are an old lizard wrangler like me, you can get close enough to get a photo like this one:

Quick edit to say that this fellow was about five feet long....

Edited November 10, 2007 by Mark Wolfe

[Rigel]

About a year ago or so I saw a small group of wild monkeys at the jungle at the peninsula near Pangka village

[Stevethongsala]

About a year ago or so I saw a small group of wild monkeys at the jungle at the peninsula near Pangka village

You're a lucky man if you have seen the free Monkeys Perhasp the Thais reintroduced them.....

[Mark Wolfe]

Sorry, this is off-topic, but I saw a big water monitor walking across the bridge I mentioned above. Even the locals were bemused at that...and in the water below was a really big fellow swimming.

[mssabai]

I have never seen a monkey in Tong Nai Pan : (, but a monitor lizard did try to eat my friends chihuahua up there once!

[SamuiRes]

Seen a monitor lizard being bbq'ed over a fire next to the road in one of the side sois in Maenam, a few years ago. Too bad one doesn't see them that much naymore, just like the squirrels.

All eaten by the cheap, imported labor on the island.

Yes - very sad. This is a photo I took of one near my house in Plai Laem four years ago. He would plod round totally unconcerned with people, which of course was his downfall as one day my wife saw (at a distance) a local Thai catch him and take him away, never to be seen again.

[sbk]

Never heard of a local islander eating a monitor lizard. Perhaps the person was Thai but she was sure they were from Samui?

[SamuiRes]

Never heard of a local islander eating a monitor lizard. Perhaps the person was Thai but she was sure they were from Samui?

You may be right, but that is what she thought at the time.

[John 1]

Let's get real Samui people eat just as much of the wild life as the imported labourers.

Don't try to say Samui people are not destroying the wildlife and the jungle.

[sbk]

Well, since Samui people are outnumbered by non-locals, its pretty unlikely that you are correct john. Not sure where you got the idea that anyone is saying locals are not destroying the local environment. However, near as I can tell, pretty much everyone is, from Thai locals, to imported labor to farang developers building on every little piece of land they can find.

[steverino]

Let's get real Samui people eat just as much of the wild life as the imported labourers.

Don't try to say Samui people are not destroying the wildlife and the jungle.

As a 20 year veteran may I add my 2 and a half pee? The local (Samui) Thai eat squirrel (if they like it). It's a bit of a delicacy. We used to buy it at Renu's on Big Buddha Beach opposite Secret Garden.

The people up to the central planes from Petchaburi and in the North and Issan eat Monitor Lizard, and a lot have disappeared from the Island due to imported labour. I Tried some at Sandy Resort years ago, and it tasted a bit like chicken. They eat Monkey too and the people from Nakhon Ratchasima eat dog, preferably Black, but if there's fresh road kill, I've seen them whack it in the wheelbarrow and BBQ it over a dug pit.

There were a lot of monkeys here before, but not so many now (there are still a few) as they eat the fruit the locals are growing on the land they're squatting in the hills, so they shoot them. I've seen them raid the Banana trees at the top of Meanam hill as I used to stay up there in a little shack.

I was a guide up there too steve but you won't see them at night, nor in the day usually, but at the crack of dawn somewhere near some fruit trees.

There's also a flying fox type of animal, which is quite partial to chickens...don't see many of them anymore, but they really are nocturnal.

Then there's the bat phenomenon from Koh Tan. Watch them fly over to BanKrut and raid the fruit trees. The sky turns black with these massive fruit bats.....ugh! They make the dogs go crazy!

I suppose we eat some strange things ourselves...Rabbit, Horse, Birds, Whale meat....Pigeons! In Peru they eat Guinea Pigs. Although it's sad that a lot of the wildlife has disappeared from the island, we should look at ourselves......There are almost no fish left in the North and Irish seas.

Enjoy your meal this evening folks!

[sbk]

Steverino, isn't Koh Tan the island where dogs cannot live --my husband tells me that if you take a dog there, it will die. Interesting about the massive fruit bats from there, I wonder if its' related in any way?

As for the squirrels, well, old timers here eat them but not so many of the younger locals. Mostly I've seen imported laborers hunting in people's coconut plantations for them.

[Rooo]

Steverino, isn't Koh Tan the island where dogs cannot live --my husband tells me that if you take a dog there, it will die. Interesting about the massive fruit bats from there, I wonder if its' related in any way?

As for the squirrels, well, old timers here eat them but not so many of the younger locals. Mostly I've seen imported laborers hunting in people's coconut plantations for them.

Correct me if I'm wrong,but I think it's the ultrasonic sounds from the bats, drives dogs crazy.Do you remember these whistles you used to buy, humans can't hear but dogs can

Edited November 15, 2007 by Rooo

[steverino]

Steverino, isn't Koh Tan the island where dogs cannot live --my husband tells me that if you take a dog there, it will die. Interesting about the massive fruit bats from there, I wonder if its' related in any way?

As for the squirrels, well, old timers here eat them but not so many of the younger locals. Mostly I've seen imported laborers hunting in people's coconut plantations for them.

Evidently The Bats make a high pitched sonic sound inaudible to the Human ear, but our canine friends can hear it, and it drives 'em mad and extremely unwell, and within 24 hours they'll die. Hence no dog island, Koh Tan.

[mustafa]

There's a newish THai restaurant on the Ghost Rd which has squirrel on the menu, but only on the Thai menu. My wife pointed it out and we wanted to buy all of them to set them free later, but they buy them already dead from the mainland.

Also on many farms a delicacy is baby mice, they find them just born and pink, BBQ them and eat them whole, yum!

[sbk]

So, it is the bats then? My husband had heard the stories but didn't know why. Is it because there are such huge numbers of them or is it a specific kind of bat? There are plenty of bats here where I live but obviously the dogs are not affected.

As for monkeys, my husband has seen plenty --but he says as you do steverino, that they are up at dawn, if you are up at the right time and in the right place, you will see them. Can't say I've ever been motivated enough to get up at the crack of dawn to hike through the jungle. My loss but probably the monkeys' gain so they can be left to eat in peace

[Japhrodisiac]

There's a newish THai restaurant on the Ghost Rd which has squirrel on the menu, but only on the Thai menu. My wife pointed it out and we wanted to buy all of them to set them free later, but they buy them already dead from the mainland.

Also on many farms a delicacy is baby mice, they find them just born and pink, BBQ them and eat them whole, yum!

If you go to the seafood/vegetable market near the new pier in Bang Rak, you will find all sorts of mammals and rodents that have been killed/skinned for sale. Rats, squirrels, a really big rodent-like creature once in a while, something that looks awfully like dog. The stall at the back right hand corner that sells all the eels and such.