Templer Park

Templer Park (Malay: Hutan Lipur Templer) is a forest reserve in Rawang, Gombak District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is 1,214 hectares in size and it was named in honour of Sir Gerald Templer, a British High Commissioner in Malaya. "On 8 September 1954, His Highness the Sultan of Selangor, the late Sultan Hishamuddin Alam Shah declared that Templer’s Park was 'dedicated by Selangor to serve as a refuge and a sanctuary for wildlife and a meeting-place for all who love and respect the beauty of nature'. The following year the government gazetted the area as “a Botanical Garden and Public Park” under the land enactment (Notification 104-1955)".[1]

Templer Park
Hutan Lipur Templer
TypeForest reserve
LocationRawang, Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia
Coordinates3.2863296°N 101.6423534°E / 3.2863296; 101.6423534
Area1,214 hectares
Created8 September 1954

This forest reserve consists of multi-tiered waterfalls, jungle streams and trails. Several amenities are available in this forest reserve, such as picnic grounds, fishing spots, parking lots, public toilets and stalls.

Wildlife that can be spotted in Templer's Park include the park monkey, the hawk-cuckoo, the crested serpent eagle, the emerald dove, the forest wagtail, malkohas, the barbet, the woodpecker, the flycatcher-shrike, the blue-winged leafbird, the earless agamid, the Malaysian crested lizard, various kinds of toads and snakes and serow (goat-antelopes). Studies by Malaysian Nature Society have confirmed that there is still a population of serow living in the vicinity.[2] The cave, Gua Anak Takun, is home to a rare species of trapdoor spider, Liphistius batuensis.[3]

Templar Park is the type locality where the holotype of the Malaysian spine-jawed snake Xenophidion schaeferi was collected in 1988. To date this is the only known specimen of this rare snake, which belongs in the obscure and primitive snake family Xenophidiidae. The family contains only one other species, X. acanthognathus, also only known from its holotype, which was collected in Sabah, northeast Borneo. These snakes are harmless, nonvenomous, and thought to feed on earthworms or insect larvae.

Threats from development

Templer's Park faces threat from housing and road development. Land adjacent to the park on former parkland has been sold to private interests. Developments such as T-Parkland@Templer's Park by the company MCT[4] involved the construction of high-end residences, a 17-story tower block and golf courses. In addition, currently some 50 hectares have been cleared for a road and more residences. This activity had the consent of the local planning authorities, where the site sign carried the license number 'US HS 3 2012 BALAK'.[5][6]

Accessibility

Templer's Park can be accessed from the Rawang exit of the North–South Expressway. The park can also be reached by taking the No 66 bus from Puduraya in Kuala Lumpur.[7]

Incidents

In 2008, a Danish man went missing for 12 hours in Templer's Park before finding his way out of the jungle. He went missing at an altitude of 500 feet above sea level.[8]

References
  1. "Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) - Persatuan Pencinta Alam Malaysia - MNS.my". www.mns.my. Archived from the original on 2013-12-20.
  2. "Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) - Persatuan Pencinta Alam Malaysia - MNS.my". www.mns.my. Archived from the original on 2013-12-20.
  3. T.W. Lim and S.S. Yussof (2009). "Conservation status of Batu Caves Trapdoor Spider (Liphistius batuensis Abraham (Araneae, Mesothelae)): A preliminary survey. 61: 121-132". Malayan Nature Journal. 62 (1): 121–132.
  4. "MCT - T-Parkland @ Templer Park". Archived from the original on 2012-11-18. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  5. "Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) - Persatuan Pencinta Alam Malaysia - MNS.my". www.mns.my. Archived from the original on 2013-12-20.
  6. "Nature Malaysia".
  7. "Templer Park". Virtual Malaysia. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  8. "Lelaki Denmark ditemui semula selepas sesat 12 jam di hutan Templer". mStar Online (in Malay). Retrieved 2010-08-27.
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