Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
In the Tanintharyi region, we obtained ten positive records out of 34 (29.4
percent) interview sites in the northern region, and 28 out of 52 (53.8 percent
percent) in the southern region. The northern region consists of the flood plains
of the Thanlwin River, which have been extensively converted to agricultural
farms, paddy fields, and rubber plantations. The long-tailed macaque popula-
tions are now restricted to limestone cliffy mountains surrounded by human
settlements, where Buddhist or Hindu temples are established. In the south-
ern region (Tanintharyi Division), primary forests still remain; and this higher
quality of habitat condition is reflected by the frequencies of positive reports.
Pets
Based on the interviews and origins of pet macaques (n=23), long-tailed
macaques appear to range in lowland and mangrove forests, while other spe-
cies of macaques tend to range in inland and mountainous forests, showing
a possible ecological separation of macaque in Myanmar. Pet long-tailed
macaques were found in thirteen of the 98 sites (13.3 percent) where we had
obtained positive long-tailed macaque reports. Of these, there were four (30.7
percent) in Rakhine, one (7.7 percent) in Bago Yoma and eight (61.5 percent)
in Tanintharyi regions (
Table 2.4
). Among the thirteen pets, two were juve-
niles (15.4 percent), two adolescent males (15.4 percent), six adult males (46.2
percent), and three adult females (23.1 percent). A marginally significant lar-
ger proportion (61.5 percent) of pet long-tailed macaques were found in the
southern Tanintharyi region (
X
2
= 5.692, df = 2, p = 0.058), and most of these
(61.5 percent) were in the southernmost area of the region. This higher num-
ber of pets may not only occur because there is a larger wild population in this
region, but also because pet long-tailed macaques are exploited in this region
for domestic and international trade.
Field survey results
Populations of wild long-tailed macaques were difficult to observe because
they are hunted in most areas and thus avoid contact with humans trying to
track them. In the mainland Tanintharyi region, we found free-ranging, habitu-
ated long-tailed macaque troops: eight in the northern region (Mon and Kayin
States) and two in the southern region (
Table 2.5
). The habitats they were found
in varied, and included vegetation that was disturbed (secondary) forests, river-
ine or coastal mangrove forests, and steep limestone mountains or coastal hills.
Nine of the groups we found live in the vicinity of Buddhist or Hindu temples
