The Creepy Masked Monkey Village of Jakarta

This is so weird and surreal. I often find myself wishing that ATS had a "general creepiness" forum because this would fit right in.

In East Jakarta, Indonesia there is a slum called South Cipinang Besar. some residents of this slum use monkeys as beggars. Not that creepy right? Well it quickly crosses the line into the stuff of nightmares. These monkeys' trainers use some pretty questionable techniques to get them to stand up straight and then put the most creepy effing masks on them. They end up looking like hella creepy little abominations unto all that is natural.

The monkeys of this slum are called topeng monyet, or literally “masked monkeys,” and have their origins in the 1980s as traveling monkey acts to entertain the poor kids of the slums, or kampungs. As the shows became more popular, the monkeys became increasingly used for getting money from tourists. The monkeys, typically long tailed macaques, are either bred in captivity, or captured by poachers in the wild, often snatched away from their mothers while still breastfeeding, to embark on a life of servitude. They are usually trained to walk upright and are most often dressed up in bright, garish costumes and masks, which are meant to make them cuter and more humanlike but in reality just transform them into nightmare fuel. Some of the animals simply have a plastic doll’s head from a children’s toy shoved over their heads. The sight of these masked monkeys is certainly a bizarre, almost otherwordly experience. Associated Press photographer Ed Wray, who spent some time studying and photographing the phenomenon, succinctly described the common impression that these monkeys have on most:

A masked monkey in an east Jakarta slum

The sight struck me as so completely surreal. Bizarre, but also surreal in the sense that it struck me that there was some meaning to the juxtaposition of the baby doll heads on the monkeys that couldn’t be put into words. I was visually fascinated by the sight

You may be thinking well... it is creept but, what's the problem?


My problem is the techniques that the trainers use to get the monkeys to do what they want and stand up straight like they often do. Its animal abuse pure and simple. I realize this is an indonesian slum we are talking about here but it still is quite upsetting, to me at least as an animal lover.

While the shows themselves are typically lighthearted and cute, the training methods used to teach the monkeys these various tricks are grueling and inhumane. In order to teach the monkeys how to walk upright, for instance, a technique known as “the hanging monkey” is often employed. A ring is fitted around the monkey’s neck and this ring is tethered to two poles erected upright on either side of the animal. The ropes are tightened until the monkey is forced upright, and its arms are tied behind its back in order to prevent it from using them for balance. This position is meant to teach the animals to rely strictly on their two feet to maintain their balance and footing, as well as to strengthen the muscles in their legs.

They will be kept like this for hours on end, after which they will be allowed to rest for a short while before starting again. Some owners will not even give rest periods, instead keeping the monkey in this position all day long. It is not a comfortable or natural position for them, and so it is not uncommon for the monkeys undergoing this training technique to shriek and screech in pain and anguish. At the end of the process, which usually lasts from anywhere from a week to a month, the monkey will have acquired a humanlike posture and the ability to walk about bipedally for long periods of time. This is only the beginning of their arduous training regimen, as they are then subsequently taught to do their tricks and handle various toys and props. Training can last months and entails frequent beatings from the masters in order to break down the will of the animals.

The masked monkeys look so creepy and unnatural it as almost disturbing. You can read the article at mysteriousuniverse. This is easily one of the weirdest things I have ever seen. I mean I never even contemplated that someone was training monkeys and having them dress up like creepy horrors to beg for money. I would avoid these things at all costs, What would you do if one of these masked monkeys approached you?

And the world never ceases to amaze me.

I started out with... That is extremely creepy and then it went straight downhill to extreme sadness at what they are doing to these monkeys. It's cruel and inhumane IMO. Over the top and I wish the people who gave money to stuff like this actually took a minute to think about what is actually going on. If they stopped giving completely, these monkeys wouldn't be abused anymore.

They are uber creepy, but knowing how they learned to do this is just...

I know, I know... Different cultures, different ways. Just saying.

OMG, that is torture for those poor little things!!!!!!!!! This infuriates me to no end! What the hell is wrong with these barbarians to do such a thing?

i wouldnt want to get within arms length of them but thats creepy as hell and cool at the same time.

i like strange, creepy, oddity type stuff.

it would be cool to go there.....gotta show my wife this

let me add the disclaimer before people flip.

i am not into animal abuse at all. some might remember my thread about thinking the gorilla was chained up at the zoo. it pissed me off.

i wouldnt give these monkeys or their trainers a cent....

but i want to see it in person.

that is strange as hell

a reply to: Kangaruex4Ewe

No, that is exactly how I felt. It is totally wrong on multiple levels. People should absolutely not be giving money to these monkeys. Hey, if you absolutely feel like you have to see them in person instead of giving them money give the monkey pepperoni sticks or something, I'm sure he would be stoked about that. It's probably mostly the locals that give them money though...

a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

i would love to give those monkeys tons of stuff and the 'trainers' nothing.....
still man...oddities fascinate me and it would be wild to see that in person.

never gonna happen though cause this guy is not going to jakarta

a reply to: Grovit

Yeah, its like something out of a horror movie. I'm like you, I like creepy weird stuff like this which is why I began reading the article to begin with but then I got to the point about th training and I was mortified. That s### is twisted. And yeah, I get it it's a different place, but at the same time it really bums me out that people anywhere would resort to torture training monkeys to beg for them. I mean if you are that desperate that you need to beg use the time you spent training the monkey to learn to do something for yourself. Probably easier said than done in Indonesia, but still...

a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

i agree. i just like to see creepy stuff.
i equate it with people not really wanting to work.

this is not the same thing but i will use it as an example.....i used to work at a scrap yard...scrap metal and such..
we would get regulars in that would bring in bags of cans and little pieces of scrap junk...it would take them hours and hours to collect this stuff. they would bring it in and get next to nothing for it...

if they would have devoted the time and effort to an actual job they would be so much better off. these people though, they wanted to be on their own time and drink fortified wine all day and scrounge for scraps and smokes instead of punching a clock.....i saw it all the time....

i liken these trainer people to the scrappers.....why work when you can whail on a monkey and have him earn money for you????
you know

if one approached me i would remove its chain and mask.

then go from there.....

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

While I agree completely. I'm not sure the rough looking trainers would be so accommodating. So if I were going to do that I would be prepared to defend myself and deal with any legal repercussions that could stem from my releasing the masked monkey. You never know what kind of crazy ish those Indonesian dudes are going to pull...

a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

i definitely would not risk doing anything that would possibly cause me to be detained in indonesia..

poor monkeys and all that but nope. in the states where i know the game i might make a stand. not over there

a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

I don't travel into foreign countries often. Mexico is about as far as I really like to go. And with that, it is very limited (1 time in the last 15 years).

The trainer....that wouldn't worry me. I would bet the number of people in indonesia that are even close to my size would number less than 100 (excluding foreigners). But I would end up in jail I think. Im not impulsive for the most part. But there is this trigger, and that would flip it.

originally posted by: Grovit
a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

i definitely would not risk doing anything that would possibly cause me to be detained in indonesia..

poor monkeys and all that but nope. in the states where i know the game i might make a stand. not over there

Same here. I would have no problem knocking around some heads but I have no wish to spend time in Indonesian jail. Hell, I don't even want to spend time in American jail.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Agreed.

The only thing I would be worried about is if these trainers had a bunch of friends and they all ganged up on me with knives or something. I bet its nothing for these guys to stab a tourist and leave them in a slum alley. One can't exactly carry one's sidearm in foreign countries either. It would be a big risk either way. But yeah, same sentiment, don't want to spend time in Indonesian jail.

a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

im with you...here in the states if i had to pop someone i know the game. i would get arrested and then bail out. go to court and get probation and maybe 30 days in jail. ive never been arrested so it would be a first time thing....
i would have to make the choice. would the pop be worth the risk...

over there though, i couldnt risk it....

i dont know their system or my rights as a foreigner......i cant play by those rules....

dont really matter. i will never be there. my rule is if i have to get shots before i travel there, i dont go

Anyone up for an international petition campaign to close this down? I think it could be fairly easily done.

I say hell no to this! OMG!

Nightmarish.

a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

Sometimes it's better when I don't know stuff

But, that's not your fault - you get credit for showing what you found - it really is better that people know

That's sad and creepy all at the same time. I hate it when animals are mistreated. Really, that just makes me sick. If one approached me I'd find a way to take it with me. If it couldn't be released to the wild I'd take it to a sanctuary where it could live or be rehabilitated so it could one day return to the wild.