Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
animals and especially monkeys is generally of unknown origin, the introduc-
tion of
M. fascicularis
to Palau is reasonably well known. Although Chinese,
Malayan, and Spanish traders were known to carry monkeys on their ships
(Kramer, 1919), the animals were probably introduced to Ngeaur around 1909,
during the German administration of Palau (Poirier and Smith,
1974
). These
authors state that German phosphate mining engineers brought two monkeys to
the Island. Ngeaur elders, however, interviewed in English and Japanese stated
that five animals were brought via steamship from Indonesia (Wheatley
et al
.,
1999b
). Another informant told us that her mother remembers two monkeys that
the Germans had as pets in the hospital on Ngeaur. Support for more than two
introduced monkeys also comes from Matsubayashi
et al
. (
1989
) who note that
the genetic diversity of the present population is too great for only two animals.
The genetic studies of these researchers also suggest an Indonesian origin such
as Sumatra or Java for the macaques. Matsubayashi
et al
. (
1989
) also found sig-
nificantly smaller body sizes in the animals on Ngeaur compared to Indonesian
populations and an interesting grayish coat-color variant. There is no mention of
monkeys in Kramer's ethnography of Ngeaur (Kramer, 1919).
The macaques were freed, perhaps when the Germans lost their colony to
Japan during World War I and departed from the region, and have prospered
ever since. The reason why they were introduced is unknown. Several reasons
were suggested during interviews. Perhaps they were simply pets or even used
to test medicines, but they were not needed as a surrogate canary for mining
phosphates as many have claimed. Luskin (
1989
) for example, states that: “This
subterranean operation brought the macaques to the island as proverbial guinea
pigs for testing mine air quality.” The mining operations on Ngeaur were a sim-
ple process of clearing the jungle, removing the dead vegetation, breaking up
the ore and shoveling it into mining cars (Otsuki, 1916). It wasn't until 1936,
decades after the monkey introduction is thought to have occurred, that mining
operations went sub aerial.
The macaque is a serious pest in Palau
A government report published in 2002 stated that “The macaque is a ser-
ious pest in Palau” (Anon,
2002
). A more recently published and widely cir-
culating pamphlet in Palau is entitled “Invasive Mammal: Monkey (
Macaca
fascicularis
, crab-eating macaque)”
.
The pamphlet notes that the Republic of
Palau's Division of Fish and Wildlife Protection considers macaques as a ser-
ious threat to the farms, health, and ecosystem of Palau. It further asserts that
these “monkeys have caused major socio-economic and environmental dam-
age to Angaur” by “destroying farm crops and gardens in Angaur” and that
they prey on crabs and birds in Palau. The pamphlet mentions that another
