Interesting Sights on Bandung Streets - Monkeys as Money Making Tools @ Indonesia

As a developing country, there are sightings encountered / chanced upon in Indonesia that are uncommon in a developed city state like Singapore; the post here was an example.

Another one was of chained monkeys performing tricks and acrobatic acts to drivers and passengers of motor vehicles stuck in traffic jams. This would have been a cute sight; making me wide eyed when i was a child. 

Now that i am older, the first thought would be "i feel sorry for the monkey" but in a country where monthly GDP per capita is less than S$500, it's just a tool necessary for survival. \

If i am in that condition, i might have done the same thing. It's sad when we hear of people condemning others simply because of conflicting principles and ideologies without understanding the underlying reasons. 

My key concern isn't on the "act" - it's the well-being of the animal. Is the long tailed macaque well taken off? Does it have sufficient food / water? Even in a developed country like Singapore, there were numerous cases of mistreated dogs in puppy mills, crowded conditions in pet shops giving rise to hygiene issues. 

Point is - who are we to judge given the scant information we have? p.s. i wouldn't have agreed to having the young monkey inhaling the second hand smoke although a smoker would not have given two hoots about it.

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For the itinerary of my five days, four nights inaugural trip to Bandung, please click here.