Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
types of macaque behavior should be promoted and which should be dis-
couraged. As mentioned, at sites where macaques are tourist attractions,
feeding of the animals is often encouraged, as the sale of monkey food gen-
erates revenue for the community and the feeding attracts more people to
visit. Promotion of feeding can cause problems as, when uncontrolled, it
can potentially lead to the development of more nuisance macaques and
population growth (see Box 6.1). Modifying macaque behaviors requires a
commitment to change among stakeholders. In this section we offer some
options for dealing with nuisance animals as well as population-level man-
agement considerations.
Particularly in urban areas or in areas with ample financial resources,
macaques can be tagged with sensors for tracking. Satellite or radio tagging
could be used on some individuals in groups that frequently interface with
people. After tagging, these groups can be tracked by wildlife authorities
allowing for rapid and appropriate responses. Additionally, placing transpon-
der receivers in trashcans, homes, and other places where macaques are not
wanted allows a record of which macaques are most frequently accessing
these points. Such information will be useful to wildlife authorities when
making management decisions. These transponders might also be use-
ful for triggering alarms, water spurts, or other deterrents when sensed by
receivers.
Controlling macaque population size
Another management option for reducing human-macaque conflict is to con-
trol the size and demographics of the macaque population. When consider-
ing the management of synanthropic macaque populations, a census of the
macaque population and surrounding nonsympatric populations can help
determine what percentage of the regional population will be affected by
management decisions. After the population is well assessed, population
control measures may be considered if indeed the conflict can be related to
a high number of macaques. This is important to determine, as often high
numbers are not necessary for human-macaque conflict. For example, in
Singapore human-macaque conflict occurs despite having a small population
because nearly all of the macaques in the population interface to some degree
with people (Sha
et al
.,
2009b
). Similarly, on Karimunjawa in Indonesia,
a population of less than 300 macaques poses significant challenges to the
local community (Box 1.1). In these cases, distribution is the main issue,
and population control would not alleviate the conflict, as the remaining
macaques would still be distributed in the same location. If the population is
determined to be excessively large and/or growing, then population control
