Harrowing sight: Monkeys crossing highway struck by speeding vehicles
Published on: Friday, September 06, 2024
By: Jessie Lee
Monkeys crossing a highway and later struck by vehicles. (Screenshot: X/@update11111 video)
Kota Kinabalu: A troop of monkeys struck by vehicles caught off-guard by their presence on a Malaysian highway have gone viral on X.
The dashcam footage shared by X account @update11111 and timestamped on September 3 received widespread attention, accumulating over 961,000 views, 5,500 likes and 2,000 reposts.
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“It was unfortunate that cars could not break. The monkeys were hit lined up last night,” read the caption.
The video shows the harrowing sight of multiple monkeys attempting to cross the busy highway as vehicles travel at high speed with no time to slow down or avoid the animals.
The post drew a mixture of comments as some pointed out the impossibility of a sudden break as it would cause more harm, while others expressed empathy for the wildlife.
“I would cry if I had to go through that... feeling guilty for hitting them but knowing I couldn’t do anything,” said netizen @amiraxd3.
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This tragic incident, though not uncommon on highways that intersect with wildlife habitats, reignites the conversation about the need for safer crossings for animals and better road management.
Ecotourism and Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY) president, founder, and chief executive officer Andrew Sebastian told The Rakyat Post that a key approach to reducing the conflict between human development and wildlife is through the use of wildlife underpasses, corridors and overpasses.
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He said these structures provide a safe passage for animals to cross roads and highways, reducing the risk of collisions with vehicles.
“By investing in wildlife crossings and retrofitting existing roads, we can demonstrate our commitment to preserving biodiversity and ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come,” he told the news outlet.
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