Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
The Palauan archipelago of over 350 islands is a test case and a living labora-
tory in the study of the dispersal of these macaques and ethnoprimatology in
general. Kramer (1919) stated that Ngeaur is one of the oldest settlements in
Palau. Ngeaur is the fourth largest island in the archipelago of Palau. Ngeaur
Island is about 11 km south of Peleliu and about 60 km from Koror, the capital
of Palau. Ngeaur is isolated to the extent that presently there is only a ferry that
runs every other week to and from the island. Air flights are no longer avail-
able. Some macaques have been carried and released to other islands in the
archipelago, including the Rock Islands, Peleliu, Koror, and at least one of the
ten states, Airai, on Palau's largest island Babeldaob (Anon,
2008
; Crombie
and Pregill,
1999
; Poirier and Smith,
1974
). It is not known yet if these intro-
duced animals will develop into viable populations.
Unlike many other islands where macaques dispersed in prehistoric times,
Palau offers an opportunity to study the relatively recent dispersal of macaques
to Ngeaur and their even more recent dispersal by humans throughout the
archipelago. Primates of all types are being brought into closer proximity with
humans around the globe. Such close contacts are not often welcomed and Palau
is probably no different from many such places. A number of relevant questions
can be asked. How have such introductions taken place and how have the com-
munities responded to these introductions? What options have these communi-
ties considered and are there other options that can be explored? How successful
have these responses been? Can primate conservation succeed in Ngeaur? Can
the people of Ngeaur live comfortably with these macaques? Ngeaur thus offers
us a complex case study by which we can better understand what causes com-
munities to choose conservation, control, or eradication of commensal macaque
populations. It is only when all the facts about the humans and non-human inter-
actions are known that difficult choices can be made.
Introduction of macaques to Palau
The Germans bought the Caroline Islands from Spain in 1899 after the Spanish-
American war. Copra was the most profitable trade item until phosphates were
mined in 1908. Ngeaur's large phosphate deposits are the result of millions of
years of bird guano. These deposits were estimated to be two and a half million
tons of high grade ore (Palau Community Action Agency,
1977
). A consortium
of German banks and other firms, called the
Deutsche Sudsee Phosphat Aktien
Gesellschaft
, organized in Bremerhaven in 1908 and was granted mining rights.
The population of Ngeaur was estimated at 150 people in 1909 (Kramer, 1919)
and a train ran on the island carrying the ore to waiting steamships.
Many Palauans consider the unique presence of
M. fascicularis
in their
country to be a dubious honor. While the island dispersal of many non-volant
