Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
caveat. In areas where introduced macaques threaten native flora and fauna,
the option of complete removal of all macaques may be considered. Such a
dramatic and irrevocable intervention should be informed to the extent pos-
sible by acquisition of relevant data on the impact of the macaques and after a
review of the multiple management options available, as proposed by a variety
of stakeholders. In areas where removal is not feasible, management strategies
will need to be implemented that reduce the impact of macaques and raise the
value of macaques to the local communities living with them.
Promoting human and macaque health at
the interspecies interface
The literature on health in primate populations is dominated by interspecies
disease transmission, both human-to-primate as well as primate-to-human.
Chapter 7
outlines some of the infectious diseases that pose a risk to humans
and primates at the interface. From the standpoint of disease transmission, all
contact, direct and indirect, between macaques and humans presents some risk
of disease transmission, in both directions. However, as coexistence between
humans and long-tailed macaques is desirable, a reasonable approach is sought
that reduces health risks to both while maintaining the benefits of human-
macaque interaction. Health promotion, among other goods, should be consid-
ered desirable for both human and primates. In most situations, the infectious
danger that should be emphasized is the danger posed by humans
to
macaques.
Conversely, focusing on the risks of macaque-to-human transmission can
increase the risk that macaques become viewed as a potential danger to public
health, which can lead to actions that harm them.
Human-to-macaque transmission
As discussed in
Chapter 7
, surprisingly little is known about actual causes of
mortality and morbidity in free-ranging populations of long-tailed macaques.
This lack of data is a significant barrier to understanding how endemic human
pathogens affect macaques. The recommendations put forward here are
informed by available data describing evidence for exposure of free-ranging
macaques to human pathogens, data on infection of laboratory macaques (i.e.,
mostly rhesus and long-tailed and pig-tail macaques) and epidemiological data
on pathogen spread in human populations.
Respiratory pathogens are transmitted through inhalation of aerosolized par-
ticles produced by speech, coughing, and sneezing, and through contact of
