GEORGE TOWN, April 8 — Langur Project Penang (LPP) today installed the third canopy bridge to enable safe crossing for wildlife in Batu Ferringhi while at the same time, spotlighting the hidden primates in the area.
The new bridge, named The Obscura, was a name given by Perhilitan Pulau Pinang based on the scientific name of the dusky langurs — trachypithecus obscurus.
LPP founder and head Yap Jo Leen said the term Obscura is a Latin word to mean dark and hidden, and misunderstood.
“The langurs and wildlife here were often misunderstood so The Obscura don’t only serve as a bridge but also serves as a means to shine a light on the different species of wildlife here,” she said in a press conference at the installation of the canopy bridge along the main road of Batu Ferringhi.
The bridge, to span over 15 metres, costs about RM32,000 for construction supported by various supporters and organisations.
Yap said they have to conduct fieldwork of about a year to gather data before identifying the location to set up the canopy bridge.
She said there is a notable increase in negative interactions between humans and primates, langurs and monkeys, in urban areas that lead to complaints about dusky langurs and long-tailed macaques.
With urbanisation and road development, she said it could lead to roadkill, accidents, and negative human-monkey interactions-issues.
“To mitigate the effects of habitat fragmentation, LPP started the ‘Bridge to Coexist’ project and built two artificial road canopy bridges in Penang in 2019 and 2024,” she said.
The first bridge is Ah Lai’s Crossing in Teluk Bahang while the second bridge is Numi’s Crossing in Tanjung Bungah.
“Both canopy bridges have helped more than 8,500 wildlife crossings and nine species to cross the roads, which include dusky langur, long-tailed macaque, Sunda slow loris, Asian palm civet, black giant squirrel, plantain squirrel, paradise tree snake, many-lined sun skink, and green-crested lizard,” she said.
She said the bridge is built in collaboration with APE Malaysia (Animal Projects & Environmental Education Sdn Bhd), a local social enterprise, and with the support of state government agencies, as well as the endorsement by Tanjung Bungah assemblyman Zairil Khir Johari.
She said the stretch from Batu Ferringhi up to Teluk Bahang, there are at least 12 to 13 groups of dusty langurs.
“There are also long-tailed macaques in the area but we cannot say whether this bridge will serve all the langur and monkey groups living along this stretch,” she said.
However, there is one family of dusty langurs called the Tarzan group living and travelling in the vicinity of The Obscura, according to Yap.
“We called them the Tarzan group because the alpha male leader behaves like the king of the jungle,” she said.
She said there are 14 individuals in the group and they often roam between six and eight hectares in the area.
Also spotted among the trees at the site were giant black squirrels and plantain squirrels so the bridge is expected to also benefit them.
Yap said they will be installing cameras on the bridge to monitor the usage of the bridge by wildlife in the area.
Find out more about LPP at www.langurprojectpenang.com.
