Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
behavior. These include investigations of daily behavior and human-macaque
conflict at student residential colleges (Zuraidah,
2003
; Sia,
2004
; Farhani,
2009
), as well as studies of social behavior in the area of the Law faculty
(Puyong,
2006
). Outside UKM main campus, several studies have been con-
ducted to understand conflict issues in human settlement areas. Tuan-Zubaidah
(2003) carried out a study on disturbance behavior on long-tailed macaques at
the human settlement in Bukit Lagi, Kangar, located in northern part of Malay
Peninsula. A similar study by Sia (
2005
) focused on the long-tailed macaque's
daily activities and disturbance behavior at other human settlements in Taman
Tenaga, Puchong, Selangor. Suhailan (
2004
) focused a study on the behavior
of macaques at the local residences in West Country, Bangi, which is located
only 3 km away from the UKM main campus. Other publications are avail-
able on nuisance problems (Md-Zain
et al
.,
2004
) and other aspects of social
behavior of macaques in the context of human presence (Md-Zain
et al
.,
2003
;
Md-Zain and Siti Jamaliah,
2005
).
This chapter presents findings on behavioral studies focusing on human-
macaque conflict of
M. fascicularis
in the main campus of UKM. The study
was initiated based on several complaints from students and staffs of UKM.
It has been carried out with three main objectives. First, conduct a popula-
tion survey of the long-tailed macaques living within the main campus of
UKM. Second, identify common types of human-macaque conflict around stu-
dent dormitories. Third, determine students' perceptions towards long-tailed
macaques on campus.
Methods
Study site
This research was conducted at the main campus of Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia (UKM), Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia. UKM is located 35km south
of Kuala Lumpur (
Figure 4.1
). This area is composed of 1,100 hectares, which
contains residential colleges (i.e., dormitories), staff quarters, administration
buildings, faculties, club house, health centre, rest house, and stadium. The
UKM main campus is surrounded by UKM Permanent Forest Reserve. This
forest is a lowland secondary dipterocarp forest with a size of 100 hectares.
It has been the original home range area of long-tailed macaques before they
were dispersed to many locations in the campus during student dormitory
and faculty building construction in the past 40 years. The UKM Permanent
Forest Reserve although fragmented, still harbours interesting and import-
ant resources with high biomass constituents (Mat Salleh,
1999
). There are a
number of primate species available for our observation in the forest reserve,
