Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
the countryside. Advice has been given to property management com-
panies and the concerned government departments, instructing them to
replace rubbish bins with wild animal-proof litter bins or to manage the
rubbish bins and refuse collection points properly so as to remove food
sources for stray macaques in residential areas.
Contraceptive/neutering program
In order to control the population growth of macaques in Hong Kong,
a large-scale macaque contraceptive/neutering program has been in
effect since 2007 which involves treatments of 30-130 macaques in
each operation (Shek and Cheng, 2010). The macaques are trapped
using a giant trapping cage, females are injected with an immuno-
contraceptive vaccine named SpayVac™ and males are vasectomized
by injecting scarring chemicals in the epipidymis, resulting in block-
age of the vas deferens. The program has been running for three years
and up to March 2010, over 1,400 macaques have been treated, which
represents over 50-60 percent of the total population in Hong Kong.
According to a recent population survey in 2010, the total population of
wild macaques in Hong Kong has dropped by around 5 percent in two
years and the average annual birth rates of the troops, which received
treatments before the mating seasons, dropped by about 30 percent.
Thus, the program has effectively controlled the macaque population.
As the program continues, we expect to see a further decline in the
total population in the coming few years. In late 2009, a new technique
for permanent sterilization of females by endoscopic tubectomy was
introduced to the program by the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation
Hong Kong (Martelli,
2009
) which will further control the population
growth of local macaques in the long run.
Public education
Public education is one of the important aspects of managing the wild
macaques in Hong Kong. In the affected country parks, large notice boards
have been installed at the main entrances with information advising visi-
tors on safety precautions and techniques to avoid nuisance macaques.
Moreover, large banners have been erected at recreational sites to remind
visitors that it is against the law to feed macaques. A macaque display cor-
ner has been established inside Shing Mun Country Park Visitor Center pro-
viding information on wild macaques and providing advice on what to do
and what not to do when encountering macaques. Seminars and on-site field
