- Title: INDONESIA: BERUK MONKEYS HELPD FARMER PICK COCONUTS
- Date: 22nd October 2004
- Summary: (W4) PARIAMAN, SUMATRA, INDONESIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) 1. VARIOUS OF COCONUT TREES 0.09 2. CLOSE OF MONKEYS, CALLED BERUKS BY LOCALS, GROOMING 0.19 3. CLOSE OF EYES OF BERUK MONKEY 0.24 4. BERUK'S OWNER SYAHARUDIN SUTAN MUDO PREPARING ROPE TO TRAIN MONKEY 0.30 5. SLV BERUK CLIMBING THE TRAINING POLE 0.34 6. CLOSE OF BERUK DURING TRAINING CHOOSING A RIPE COCONUT AND DROPPING IT ONTO THE GROUND 0.45 7. CLOSE OF BERUK PLAYING WITH OWNER 0.50 8. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) BERUK'S OWNER, SYAHARUDIN SUTAN MUDO SAYING: "I have to train the monkeys so that they can help me earn some money" 1.03 9. WIDE OF BERUK CLIMBING A COCONUT TREE 1.09 10. VARIOUS OF BERUK PLUCKING AND THROWING DOWN RIPE COCONUTS 1.26 11. SCU OWNER WATCHING BERUK UP IN THE TREE 1.32 12. SLV OF COCONUT FALLING DOWN FROM TREE 1.36 13. WIDE OF COCONUT TREE 1.42 14. SLV OWNER TAKING BERUK AND COCONUT TO THE CART 1.48 15. SLV CART LEAVING WITH OWNER, MONKEY AND COCOANUTS 1.53 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 6th November 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PARIAMAN, SUMATRA, INDONESIA
- Country: Indonesia
- Reuters ID: LVA45OIZ2Y2PP9HS112I1P65S0D8
- Story Text: Pig-tailed macaques help farmers pick coconuts
during harvest time in Sumatra.
Residents of Pariaman regency, one of the
coconut-growing areas in West Sumatra province, rent
trained pig-tailed macaques, locally known as 'beruks' to
help pick coconuts during harvest time.
Easily distinguished by its short tail, the pig-tailed
macaque (mamaca nemestrina) is of stocky build with
creamy-brown fur on the back, white underparts, and dark
brown fur on the crown.
Owner of these monkeys, Syaharudin Sutan Mudo rents his
trained beruks to residents during the harvest time that
usually runs every two months throughout the year.
Training takes between two to three weeks for the
monkeys to become adept at climbing trees, plucking the
coconuts and throwing them on the ground for residents to
collect.
"I have to train the monkeys so that they can help me
earn some money," said Syaharudin while watching one of his
beruks at work.
The clever monkeys are also trained to obey directions
from their owners in selecting the ripe coconuts.
Syaharudin, who has been training and renting monkeys
for more than 20 years, charges around 40,000 rupiah ($4.4)
per tree for the services of his beruks.
He feeds his beruks cooked rice, bananas, and two eggs
a day to keep them fit.
Pig tailed macaquesspecies ranges from Eastern India to
most of mainland Southeast Asia to Sumatra and Borneo
islands. They are in great demand in Southeast Asia for
coconut picking.
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