Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 12.1
Management of nuisance macaques in Hong Kong
Chung-Tong Shek
Introduction
Hong Kong is a physically small city with a total land area of 1,076 square
kilometers. While it is renowned for its urban landscape and dense human
population, it surprisingly enjoys a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna.
Nearly three-quarters of Hong Kong's land is countryside, and about 40
percent of the total land area has been designated as country parks, special
areas or restricted areas for protection of its biodiversity.
Hong Kong macaques
Hong Kong falls within the range of natural distribution of the rhesus
macaque. However, the original wild stock is believed to have been extir-
pated. The existing macaque populations are considered to be the descend-
ents of the individuals which have been introduced to the Kowloon Hills,
i.e., Kam Shan and Lion Rock Country Parks in the 1910s (Herlots, 1951;
Wong and Ni,
2000
). It is believed that rhesus macaques were reintroduced
to Hong Kong to control the spread of a local poisonous plant, the strych-
nos. This plant contains alkaloids which are poisonous to humans but it is a
favored food of macaques. In addition to the rhesus macaques, long-tailed
macaques were released in the same area in the 1950s, leading to cross-
breeding between these two
Macaca
species. According to the result of a
survey conducted 1991-1992, over 30 percent of the total population of
macaques found in Hong Kong were considered hybrids, see
Figure 12.1
(Wong and Ni,
2000
). These macaques have adapted to the environment
and have formed a well-known macaque population in the Kowloon Hills,
locally known as “Monkey Hill”.
Macaque nuisance
In Hong Kong, some people enjoy feeding wild macaques in the Kowloon
Hills, as they worry that macaques are starving in the wild and they need to
be fed regularly like pets. Due to heavy human provisioning, the population
of macaques in Hong Kong has increased dramatically from about 100 to
over 2,000 individuals in the past 30 years. Through frequent contact with
humans over the years, some macaques have become habituated to humans.
Because people who feed macaques usually carry plastic bags containing
food, the macaques have learned to snatch plastic bags from visitors. The
macaques' sometimes aggressive behavior has led to conflict with local
