Templer Park ( ms, Hutan Lipur Templer) is a

forest reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in Rawang, Gombak District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is 1,214 hectares in size and it was named in honour of

Sir Gerald Templer Field Marshal Sir Gerald Walter Robert Templer, (11 September 1898 – 25 October 1979) was a senior British Army officer. He fought in both the world wars and took part in the crushing of the Arab Revolt in Palestine. As Chief of the Imperial ...

, a

British High Commissioner in Malaya In 1896, the post of High Commissioner for the Federated Malay States was created; the High Commissioner represented the British Government in the Federated Malay States, a federation of four British protected states in Malaya. The High Commissi ...

. "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)". 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 common emerald dove (''Chalcophaps indica''), also called Asian emerald dove and grey-capped emerald dove, is a widespread resident breeding pigeon native to the tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. ...

, the

forest wagtail The forest wagtail (''Dendronanthus indicus'') is a medium-sized passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae. It has a distinctive plumage that sets it apart from other wagtails and has the habit of wagging its tail sideways unlike the usua ...

malkoha Malkohas are large birds in the cuckoo family Cuculidae Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, co ...

s, the barbet, the woodpecker, the

flycatcher-shrike The flycatcher-shrikes are two species of small Asian passerine bird belonging to the genus ''Hemipus''. They are now usually placed in the Vangidae. Description They are in length.Robson, Craig (2002) ''A Field Guide to the Birds of South-eas ...

, the

blue-winged leafbird The blue-winged leafbird (''Chloropsis moluccensis'') is a species of leafbird found in forest and second growth throughout Southeast Asia as far east as Borneo and as far south as southern Sumatra. It previously included Jerdon's leafbird (' ...

, the earless agamid, the

Malaysian crested lizard Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia rega ...

, 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. The cave, Gua Anak Takun, is home to a rare species of trapdoor spider,

Liphistius batuensis ''Liphistius batuensis'' is a species of trapdoor spider from Malaysia. It is thought to be restricted to the Batu Caves and Templer Park, near Kuala Lumpur. It was first collected by H. C. Abraham in 1923, and has been described as a living fos ...

. Templar Park is the type locality where the holotype of the Malaysian spine-jawed snake ''

Xenophidion schaeferi ''Xenophidion schaeferi'', also known commonly as the Malayan spinejaw snake or Schäfer's spiny-jawed snake, is a species of snake in the monotypic family Xenophidiidae. The species is endemic to Malaysia. Etymology The specific name, ''schae ...

'' 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 ''Xenophidion'' is a genus of snakes first described in 1995, and the only genus of the monotypic family Xenophidiidae.. Commonly referred to as spinejaw snakes, this genus is found in Borneo and peninsular Malaysia. Morphology and classificatio ...

. 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

The integrity and natural character of Templer's Park is under threat from controversial recent developments which are apparently either a.) adjacent to the park on former parkland which was sold to private interests, or b.) illegally taking place on actual parkland. Developments such as T-Parkland@Templer's Park by the company MCT involved the construction of high-end residences, a 17-story tower block and golf courses. In addition, currently some 50 hectares of ongoing deforestation is taking place for a road and more residences, which will likely impact the quality of the streams in the park due to erosion if this activity continues. Surprisingly, this activity seems to have the consent of the local planning authorities, where the site sign carries the license number 'US HS 3 2012 BALAK'. The authorities appear to be unconcerned about this steady loss of forest to developers and have 'yet to lift a finger' according to a local nature resource.

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.

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.

References

External links

Templer's Park Malaysia.
{{Authority control Gombak District Nature sites of Selangor