Batu Caves, located just outside of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, are sacred for Hindus across the world, but also have issues with cheeky monkeys and piles of rubbish
A sacred tourist spot has become overrun by monkeys and plagued by litter.
Batu Caves, located just outside of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, took first place in a recent study of the world’s most littered tourist attraction, with 1.67% of reviews mentioning rubbish out of a total 13,950 reviews.
The huge cave complex is one of Malaysia’s most iconic tourist destinations and has particular religious significance due to its Hindu temple complex dedicated to Lord Murugan, the Hindu God of war. The limestone caves themselves are more than 400 million years old, while the temple at their heart was built in 1920.
Hindus from all over have come together during festivals to celebrate and pray as a community in the Batu Caves, where magnificently built shrines and statues are strikingly set against a captivating background of limestone hills.
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Unfortunately, several factors have chipped away at the beauty of the unique attraction.
The site’s litter issue has often been attributed to its popularity with milions of annual visitors, many of whom discard rubbish and often feed the resident monkeys. The large size and complex nature of the site also make it difficult to maintain.
Following a recent visit to the Caves, a man from Burnley wrote: “The whole area surrounding the shrine was filthy and covered with litter, discarded food, refuse bins overflowing with plastics etc, used face masks and litter in general.
“If this is a sacred shrine, I find it difficult to understand why those responsible for its upkeep allow it to be abused in this way. Entry to the sacred shrines requires visitors to remove shoes, but having seen the filthy state the floors were surrounding these areas, there was no way my wife nor I would risk doing so.
“I appreciate that the matter was exacerbated by the presence of monkeys at the caves that scavenge for food, but surely those responsible for health and safety should introduce a programme of cleaning throughout the day to ensure all litter etc is removed.”
A holidaymaker from Essex added: “The area is strewn with rubbish and very stinky. It needs a good clean-up.”
Mark Hall, general waste expert at BusinessWaste.co.uk which conducted the study, said: “It is concerning to see so many reviews mentioning litter at iconic tourist attractions around the world. Many of these sites have religious, spiritual, or historic importance, so it’s vital that travellers treat them with respect. Sadly, overtourism is now a huge issue in many countries and this often brings the issue of litter.
“When tourists visit in such vast numbers, it can be difficult for the operators of tourist attractions to manage waste. Therefore, it’s vital that travellers are mindful of the impact of their own waste. You should never litter, and if a bin isn’t available or is full, always take litter home with you to dispose of properly. That way, we can ensure that these sites remain preserved and enjoyable for years to come.”