Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
been reassessed by Sussman
et al
. (Chapter 8) to possibly be below 10,000
individuals.
Perceptions of
Macaca fascicularis
in Mauritius
Throughout their existence on the island, the long-tailed macaque has been per-
ceived as a pest, from the early settlers (the Dutch, the French and the British)
to the existing population, because they raid crops and even damage properties.
However, the raiding of crops or damaging of properties occurs mostly in areas
bordering the forests. Most of these lands are considered as marginal lands and
it is very often people with relatively low incomes that cultivate these lands.
Hence, they are affected by the damage inflicted by monkey troops more than
other farmers on less marginal lands. It has been estimated that long-tailed
macaques cause US$1.5 million in agricultural damage per year (Bertram and
Ginsberg,
1994
), which represents about 0.01 percent of the island's GDP.
Macaques affect several types of farms in Mauritius. In one region of the island,
known as the ex-tea belt, where previous tea plantations have been replaced by
sugarcane plantations and are adjacent to riverine and secondary forest habitats,
more than 40 percent of small planters have abandoned their plot of land due
to monkey damage (M. Boodnah, Manager of Farmers Service Corporation,
Curepipe Branch, personal communication). It is not only sugarcane that suffers
from monkey raids. Due to the flexible diet of long-tailed macaques and depend-
ing on the predominant food source available, they may feed on other crops such
as bananas, maize, vegetables, and fruit trees (
Figure 9.2
). In some deer rearing
estates, where the deer are given supplementary food, the monkeys have devel-
oped a commensal relationship with the deer. They live in close proximity with
the herds and also feed on the deer food, which is a mixture of grains and molas-
ses (pers. obs.)
Apart from being perceived as a pest to agriculture, the long-tailed macaque
is devastating to the native fauna and flora. For centuries, they have been recog-
nized as predators of birds' nests, eating eggs and young and sometimes even
attacking incubating adults (McKelvey,
1976
; Jones
et al
.,
1992
). Their role
in preventing regeneration of native trees through the predation of immature
fruits (
Figure 9.3
), as well as contributing to the seed dissemination of invasive
exotic plants have also been documented (Florens,
2008
).
It is likely that early settlers hunted monkeys for food. This practice con-
tinued through the years, with escaped/ex-slaves using monkeys as a food
source. In Mauritius, a large proportion of forest areas (excluding Nature
reserves) are leased privately for deer rearing and game shooting. Prior to
the 1980's monkeys were considered as game and were regularly shot for
