Monkeys At Bali’s Uluwatu Temple Evolve From Sacred Guardians To Mischievous Thieves: Rising New Concerns Over Tourist Interactions And Ethical Wildlife Management

Published on August 26, 2025

Perched connected Bali’s breathtaking cliffs, Uluwatu Temple is simply a tract of immense civilization arsenic good arsenic a centerpiece of religion. With its astonishing scenery, nan temple besides has wildlife that attracts visitors. It is location to a unit of astir 600 macaque monkeys, which nan temple has travel to symbolically stock its guardianship with. Historically, nan monkeys person been an integral portion of nan temple’s ecosystem, adding to nan temple’s ineffable mystique.

Unfortunately, nan increasing number of visitors has led to nan erstwhile monk-like behaviour of these monkeys to displacement aggressively. Instead of being elemental Uluwatu inhabitants, they person devolved into temple grounds savvy opportunists. With visitors being nan caller target, these monkeys person started to actively onslaught individual possessions. As a result, visitors are losing their individual valuables specified arsenic sunglasses, cameras, and moreover bags—a caller troubling phenomenon.

A ‘Criminal Enterprise’ connected nan Temple Grounds

The monkeys astatine Uluwatu Temple person go notorious for their cunning and calculated actions. What has now been branded arsenic a “criminal enterprise” by some, nan monkeys’ behaviour has go much deliberate and targeted. Tourists often find that their belongings are snatched away, pinch nan monkeys learning that these items tin beryllium exchanged for food, creating a rhythm that reinforces this behavior.

Increased tourer interactions and nan readiness of nutrient person created an situation wherever nan monkeys are much emboldened than ever. This behaviour has now been passed down done generations of monkeys, pinch older primates school younger ones nan creation of stealing from visitors. As reported by Kadek Ari Astawa, nan squad head for nan pawang (monkey keepers), this shape has been observed for decades, moreover earlier nan large-scale tourism boom.

Despite nan taste value of nan monkeys, their actions are causing important disruptions, starring to increasing concerns complete really their behaviour is impacting nan visitant experience.

Efforts to Curb nan Monkeys’ Behavior

The guidance astatine Uluwatu Temple, on pinch nan pawang who attraction for nan monkeys, has tried aggregate approaches to mitigate nan problem. One of nan superior solutions has been controlling nan monkeys’ feeding schedule. Initially, nan volition was to create a regular feeding regular to support nan monkeys satisfied, but this attack inadvertently fueled their desire for nutrient from visitors. Other attempts to alteration nan fare of nan monkeys aliases supply intermittent feeding person not produced important improvements, and nan thefts proceed unabated.

Ketut Ariana, 1 of nan long-serving pawang, shares his vexation pinch nan ongoing thefts, stating that it is communal for him to retrieve 5 to 10 stolen phones from nan monkeys each day. Despite these challenges, Ariana remains dedicated to managing nan delicate narration betwixt nan monkeys and tourists, continuing to intervene erstwhile necessary.

The Ethical Dilemma of Wildlife Tourism

The business astatine Uluwatu Temple highlights a broader rumor pinch wildlife tourism successful Bali and Lombok. Investigations by organizations for illustration World Animal Protection person many times raised concerns astir nan ethical implications of tourer attractions that impact chaotic animals. Even erstwhile animals for illustration nan macaques astatine Uluwatu roam freely, location are still questions regarding nan ethical guidance of their interactions pinch tourists.

The study from World Animal Protection warns that wildlife encounters successful Bali and Lombok—whether successful parks aliases astatine earthy sites—are not being responsibly handled. They reason that moreover chaotic animals, erstwhile exposed to dense tourer traffic, tin create behaviour that is unnatural and perchance harmful. This calls into mobility nan morality of visiting attractions wherever wildlife is not appropriately managed, and it suggests that these types of experiences should beryllium avoided by responsible travelers.

A Call for Responsible Tourism

As Bali continues to pull millions of visitors each year, nan rumor of responsible tourism is becoming progressively important. Visitors to Uluwatu Temple are advised to beryllium mindful of nan monkeys and nan imaginable for theft. Tourists are urged to support their belongings hidden and debar engaging pinch nan monkeys directly. In addition, bringing nutrient into nan temple is prohibited to discourage nan monkeys from approaching group successful hunt of treats.

While Uluwatu Temple remains a captious portion of Bali’s taste heritage, nan narration betwixt nan temple’s monkeys and its visitors is simply a reminder of nan complexities of wildlife tourism. In an property of accelerated tourism development, it is basal for some visitors and guidance to find ways to co-exist pinch nan earthy situation without disrupting nan delicate equilibrium of section wildlife.

A Symbol of Bali’s Wildlife Ethics Dilemma

The Uluwatu Temple monkeys person go much than conscionable a funny show to behold. They are a awesome of a greater interest regarding really to negociate wildlife successful heavy visited tourer sites. There are wildlife tourism controversies connected Bali that bid much humanitarian wildlife tourism and ethical conservation of nan earthy and taste practice of nan island.

The expanding number of visitors visiting Uluwatu and akin places calls to nan information of caller measures to power animal behaviour and animal quality ethics. Bali whitethorn suffer nan aureate chance offered by quality and culture, if due animal and quality relationship is not educated.