KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 -- A northbound rest and service area (R&R) on the North-South Expressway has been temporarily closed for a special operation to tackle increasingly aggressive wild monkeys, with traders saying years of motorists feeding the animals have made them fearless.

PLUS Malaysia Berhad said the northbound Sungai Perak R&R was closed on Tuesday to facilitate the operation, Utusan Malaysia reported.

The monkeys have frequented the rest stop for years, but workers and traders said repeated feeding by some visitors has left them increasingly bold.

Traders have resorted to placing replica snakes on pillars, walls and around their stalls in an attempt to keep the monkeys away.

Petrol station worker Muhd Asyraf Mohd Idris, 23, ...