Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
of eight groups. In the Rakhine region, we traveled 300 km, and found 31
sites with macaques. We estimated the density of macaque in this region
to be 0.155 individuals/ km
2
, and estimated the population to be between
1,300 and 13,000 individuals. The population of long-tailed macaques in
mangrove forests (decreasing by 8 percent from 1996) was estimated to
be between 2,250 and 22,500 individuals. Therefore, the total population
estimated for the Rakhine region was between 3,550 and 35,500. In the
Southern Tanintharyi region, from Kawthaung to Myeik, we traveled about
390 km, and on this route found 28 sites with positive reports for long-
tailed macaques. We estimated a density of 0.215 individuals/km
2
, and
estimated the population to be between 2,760 and 27,600. We separately
calculated the population in mangrove forests, which has an area of 2,600
km
2
(Leimgruber
et al
.,
2005
). We estimated the population of long-tailed
macaques in mangrove forests to be between 4,380 and 43,800 individuals.
In the southern Tanintharyi region, where villages are sparse and the forests
are more intact, the density of long-tailed macaques may be higher. We
therefore estimated the total population for the southern Tanintharyi region
to be between 7,140 and 71,400 individual.
Based on these figures in the various regions, we calculated the total popu-
lation of long-tailed macaques in Myanmar to be somewhere between 11,130
and 107,900 individuals. This is a wide range, but we prefer to be conserva-
tive in our estimation, and further census work will be needed to better refine
these numbers. The southern Tanintharyi region holds the greatest population
(64.1-66.4 percent), and the Rakhine region the second greatest (31.9-33.0
percent). The northern Tanintharyi region has the second-smallest population
(3.14-0.65 percent), and Ayeyarwady Delta and Bago Yoma have the smallest
(0.81-0.28 percent).
Human-macaque relationships
Conflict between humans and macaques was found to occur in Rakhine
State, Bago Yoma and Tanintharyi Division (
Table 2.6
), and the most com-
mon conflict reported was by farmers having macaques raid their crops.
In the Rakhine region (site No. 48,
Table 2.3
), long-tailed macaques were
reported to have damaged nipa-palm fruits by drinking nipa-palm juice. In
the Ayeyarwady Delta regions, conflict between humans and long-tailed
macaques was not reported, perhaps because long-tailed macaques have
been extensively exterminated, excepting two troops in the Meinmahla
Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary.
