Human-macaque Interactions Research Articles

Population Assessment and Threats to Long-Tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis Raffles) in Areas Outside Sumile Botanical and Zoological Park, Butuan City, Philippines

Long-tailed macaques overlap extensively with humans across their ranges in Southeast Asia and consequently live together in several locations. Human-macaque interactions were documented in the neighboring Sumile Zoological and Botanical Park in Barangay Sumile, Butuan City. Due to anthropogenic activities resulting to the loss of their natural habitat, the macaques are forced to live within human settlements resulting to a positive and negative interactions which greatly affected their population. The primary objective of this study is to assess the population of long-tailed macaques in Maibu, Butuan City. We also identified the current threats, as well as the food sources of the macaques in the area. The results showed that the current estimated population of long-tailed macaques was about 688 individuals. Based on key informant interviews, the threats to long-tailed macaque populations were attributed to mining activities, deforestation through illegal logging, and the prevalent wildlife hunting. Furthermore, researchers found that fruit trees, such as coconut, banana, papaya, mango, and root crops, such as sweet potatoes, cassava, and taro, are the main sources of food. Researchers recommend expanding the scope of future studies to include home ranges, range distances, and potential sites, to obtain a larger sample size to effectively plan conservation measures of the species.

Prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex among Wild Rhesus Macaques and 2 Subspecies of Long-Tailed Macaques, Thailand, 2018-2022.

We identified tuberculosis in 1,836 macaques from 6 wild rhesus (Macaca mulatta), 23 common long-tailed (M. fascicularis fascicularis), and 6 Burmese long-tailed (M. fascicularis aurea) macaque populations in Thailand. We captured, anesthetized, and collected throat, buccal, and rectal swab specimens from the macaques. We screened swabs for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) using insertion sequence 6110-specific nested PCR. We found higher MTBC prevalence at both population and individual levels among M. mulatta than M. fascicularis fascicularis macaques; all 3 M. fascicularis aurea macaque populations were positive for tuberculosis. We found that throat swab specimens provided the best sample medium for detecting MTBC. Our results showed no difference in MTBC prevalence between male and female animals, but a higher percentage of adults were infected than subadults and juveniles. Although we detected no association between frequency of human-macaque interaction and MTBC prevalence, bidirectional zoonotic transmission should be considered a possible public health concern.

Assessing Public Perceptions toward Toque Macaques in Kuliyapitiya Divisional Secretariat to Mitigate the Human-Macaque Interactions in Sri Lanka

Assessing Public Perceptions toward Toque Macaques in Kuliyapitiya Divisional Secretariat to Mitigate the Human-Macaque Interactions in Sri Lanka

Environmental Change and Zoonotic Disease Risk at Human-Macaque Interfaces in Bangladesh.

Anthropogenic land-use changes increase the frequency of interactions and habitat overlap between humans and macaques which play an important role in zoonotic disease transmission. This exploratory qualitative study aimed to examine connections between land-use change and macaque-human interactions and assess the chance of zoonotic disease transmission. We conducted ethnographic interviews and focus group discussions in Old Dhaka, Madaripur, and Chandpur, Bangladesh. Participants reported significant anthropogenic landscape transformations leading to increased human-macaque contact in the study areas. Participants also reported that all three sites underwent substantial landscape alteration from natural or agricultural land to a human-altered environment with roads, commercial, and residential buildings. Participants noted that the disappearance of forestland appeared to increase the macaque dependence on backyard fruit trees. Where rivers and ponds were filled to support local construction, macaques were also observed as becoming more dependent upon human water sources. These changed may help expanding the macaques' foraging areas, and they appear to be invading new areas where people are not culturally habituated to living with them. In response, many residents reported reacting aggressively toward the macaques, which they believed led to more bites and scratches. However, other respondents accepted the presence of macaques around their homes. Few participants considered macaques to be a source of disease transmission. This study revealed that local environmental changes, deforestation, urban expansion, construction, and water bodies' disappearance are linked to increasing human-macaque interactions. Understanding these interactions is critical to develop successful mitigation interventions at interfaces with a high risk for viral disease spillover.

The Distribution and Abundance of Long-Tailed Macaques in the Main Campus of Universiti Malaysia Sabah and its Vicinity

Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) inhabit a wide range of natural and human-modified environments in Southeast Asia. Because of their ability to occupy the same space and utilise the same food resources as humans, long-tailed macaques have in some cases been regarded as nuisance and pest. As part of an effort to assess the status of human-macaque interactions in the main campus of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), we conducted a survey to determine the distribution range and estimate the abundance of the macaque population. We performed the survey monthly from April 2019 to March 2020 at 13 localities classified into three different habitat types i.e. secondary forest, forest edge and urban areas identified in the campus and its vicinity. The survey covered an overall area of 6.02 km2. We recorded the group or individual locations and the number of macaques with each individual's age/sex information whenever possible. The macaques consisted of three different multimale-multifemale groups and a solitary individual. We recorded a minimum population size of 54 macaque individuals with an average group size of 17.7 individuals and a population density of 8.97 individuals/km2 in the surveyed areas. Macaques were encountered every month and in all habitat types defined in this study. However, they were mainly distributed at two habitat types i.e. urban areas and forest edges near Bukit UMS and the student residential colleges where anthropogenic influence appeared to be high. We speculate that the monthly availability of food resources, including anthropogenic food waste, may partly explain this distribution pattern. We suggest that further studies is conducted in this regard.

Implementing social network analysis to understand the socioecology of wildlife co-occurrence and joint interactions with humans in anthropogenic environments.

Human population expansion into wildlife habitats has increased interest in the behavioural ecology of human-wildlife interactions. To date, however, the socioecological factors that determine whether, when or where wild animals take risks by interacting with humans and anthropogenic factors still remains unclear. We adopt a comparative approach to address this gap, using social network analysis (SNA). SNA, increasingly implemented to determine human impact on wildlife ecology, can be a powerful tool to understand how animal socioecology influences the spatiotemporal distribution of human-wildlife interactions. For 10 groups of rhesus, long-tailed and bonnet macaques (Macaca spp.) living in anthropogenically impacted environments in Asia, we collected data on human-macaque interactions, animal demographics, and macaque-macaque agonistic and affiliative social interactions. We constructed 'human co-interaction networks' based on associations between macaques that interacted with humans within the same time and spatial locations, and social networks based on macaque-macaque allogrooming behaviour, affiliative behaviours of short duration (agonistic support, lip-smacking, silent bare-teeth displays and non-sexual mounting) and proximity. Pre-network permutation tests revealed that, within all macaque groups, specific individuals jointly took risks by repeatedly, consistently co-interacting with humans within and across time and space. GLMMs revealed that macaques' tendencies to co-interact with humans was positively predicted by their tendencies to engage in short-duration affiliative interactions and tolerance of conspecifics, although the latter varied across species (bonnets>rhesus>long-tailed). Male macaques were more likely to co-interact with humans than females. Neither macaques' grooming relationships nor their dominance ranks predicted their tendencies to co-interact with humans. Our findings suggest that, in challenging anthropogenic environments, less (compared to more) time-consuming forms of affiliation, and additionally greater social tolerance in less ecologically flexible species with a shorter history of exposure to humans, may be key to animals' joint propensities to take risks to gain access to resources. For males, greater exploratory tendencies and less energetically demanding long-term life-history strategies (compared to females) may also influence such joint risk-taking. From conservation and public health perspectives, wildlife connectedness within such co-interaction networks may inform interventions to mitigate zoonosis, and move human-wildlife interactions from conflict towards coexistence.

Zoonotic potential of gastrointestinal parasite in long-tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis at Baluran National Park, Situbondo, East Java, Indonesia

Baluran National Park (BNP) is one of the highest number of tourist visit among Indonesian national park. In the past decades, excessive feeding has induced change in macaque behaviour which increased the number of recorded human-macaque interaction. The close contact between macaque and humans can increase the risk of disease transmissions. This study aimed to identify gastro intestinal (GI) parasite in the long-tailed macaque. To provide identification, we adopted morphologic methods. We collected 100 faeces from unidentified individuals of Long-tailed macaque in BNP. Fecal samples were tested using direct smear and modified sugar floatation techniques. Microscopic examination showed 89% (89/100) samples were found to be positive of GI parasite. The prevalence of protozoa infection was higher (89%) than helminth (83%). The most prevalent GI parasite is Trichostrongylus sp (66%) following with Entamoeba sp. (53%), Strongyloides sp. (32%), Blastocystis sp. (32%), Trichuris sp.(17%), Giardia sp. (10%) and Enterobius sp. (3%). All of GI parasite that successfully identified have zoonotic concern. In conclusion, GI parasites found in faeces of long-tailed macaque at Baluran National Park potentially a zoonotic transmission.Keywords : GI Parasite; Long tailed Macaque; Baluran National Park; Zoonosis

Impact of anthropogenic factors on affiliative behaviors among bonnet macaques

In primates, allogrooming and other affiliative behaviors confer many benefits and may be influenced by many socioecological factors. Of these, the impact of anthropogenic factors remain relatively understudied. Here we ask whether interactions with humans decreased macaques' affiliative behaviors by imposing time-constraints, or increased these behaviors on account of more free-/available-time due to macaques' consumption of high-energy human foods. In Southern India, we collected data on human-macaque and macaque-macaque interactions using focal-animal sampling on two groups of semi-urban bonnet macaques for 11 months. For each macaque within each climatic season, we calculated frequencies of human-macaque interactions, rates of monitoring human activity and foraging on anthropogenic food, dominance ranks, grooming duration, number of unique grooming partners, and frequencies of other affiliative interactions. We found strong evidence for time-constraints on grooming. Macaques that monitored humans more groomed for shorter durations and groomed fewer partners, independent of their group membership, sex, dominance rank, and season. However, monitoring humans had no impact on other affiliative interactions. We found no evidence for the free-time hypothesis: foraging on anthropogenic food was unrelated to grooming and other affiliation. Our results are consistent with recent findings on other urban-dwelling species/populations. Macaques in such environments may be especially reliant on other forms of affiliation that are of short duration (e.g., coalitionary support, lip-smacking) and unaffected by time-constraints. We stress on the importance of evaluating human impact on inter-individual differences in primate/wildlife behavior for conservation efforts.

Nuisance behaviors of macaques in Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Palawan, Philippines

Different nuisance behaviors of macaques have been reported in different parts of the world where humans and macaques have been living in the same habitats and sharing the same resources. In this study, nuisance behaviors of Long-tailed Macaques were documented in Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park using direct observation, survey questionnaire and by visiting the complaint section database. The attitudes and practices of the locals towards the macaques were also investigated. From the result of the study, it was observed that the most common nuisance behavior of macaques in Central Park Station was littering, while according to the locals, eating of crops was the most common nuisance behavior. There was no existing tourist complaint about the macaques in the area, however, park personnel reported that aggressive tourist-macaque encounters sometimes happened. These nuisance behaviors were observed to be linked to food security of the animals which results in negative interaction. Meanwhile, it was also observed that the practices of most people towards macaques in the area are still relatively positive despite the nuisance behaviors of the macaques. Only a small percentage of respondents hunted macaques, experienced keeping macaques as pets or experienced eating macaque meat. The direct observations revealed that the degree of human-macaque interaction in the park was relatively mild compared to the reports in other countries, partly because of the positive human attitudes towards the animals and the effective management practices in the area.

Rates of human-macaque interactions affect grooming behavior among urban-dwelling rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

The impact of anthropogenic environmental changes may impose strong pressures on the behavioral flexibility of free-ranging animals. Here, we examine whether rates of interactions with humans had both a direct and indirect influence on the duration and distribution of social grooming in commensal rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Data were collected in two locations in the city of Shimla in northern India: an urban setting and a temple area. We divided these two locations in a series of similar-sized physical blocks (N = 48) with varying rates of human-macaque interactions. We conducted focal observations on three free-ranging rhesus macaque groups, one in the urban area and two in the temple area. Our analysis shows that macaques engaged in shorter grooming bouts and were more vigilant while grooming in focal sessions during which they interacted with people more frequently, suggesting that humans directly affected grooming effort and vigilance behavior. Furthermore, we found that in blocks characterized by higher rates of human-macaque interactions grooming bouts were shorter, more frequently interrupted by vigilance behavior, and were less frequently reciprocated. Our work shows that the rates of human-macaque interaction had both a direct and indirect impact on grooming behavior and that macaques flexibly modified their grooming interactions in relation to the rates of human-macaque interaction to which they were exposed. Because grooming has important social and hygienic functions in nonhuman primates, our work suggests that human presence can have important implications for animal health, social relationships and, ultimately, fitness. Our results point to the need of areas away from people even for highly adaptable species where they can engage in social interactions without human disruption.

On the Rocks: Using Discourse Analysis to Examine Relationships between Barbary Macaques (Macaca sylvanus) and People on Gibraltar

Primates are difficult to categorise due to some of the human-like characteristics they possess. Here, we examine the complexities that exist in a commensal relationship between an introduced population of Barbary macaques and local human populations on Gibraltar. In Western culture, much has been done to recognise primates' human characteristics while simultaneously focusing on keeping them at a metaphorical distance. In the context of Gibraltar's Barbary macaques, the anomalous status of primates causes a duality of perception whereby the macaques' position makes them both more frustrating and perceived as more worthy of protection. We examine the language used by Gibraltar residents about the macaques, interpreting statements using discourse analysis to reveal the complexities of people's perceptions of the macaques. Our results indicate that Barbary macaques on Gibraltar occupy a perceptual context of internal conflict in which they are viewed both with pride and a sense of ownership as well as with mistrust and fear. The relationship between people and Barbary macaques on Gibraltar is complex, and while sensitisation programmes and awareness-raising efforts exist, we recommend greater collaboration with residents to prevent the development of more intense negative human-macaque interactions.

Chinese Visitors’ Experiences of Nature and Wild Macaques: Inspiration and Personal Growth for Living in Hong Kong

Country parks offer urban residents the opportunity to experience wildlife, engage in environmental education, and socially bond with family and friends, but little is known about these experiences in China. Twenty-five interviews were conducted in 2012 to investigate the meanings Hong Kong residents visiting Kam Shan Country Park ascribed to social contact with wild rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Findings revealed positive attitudes toward the macaques. A key message was a positive human relationship with the macaques that were valued by the visitors for enjoyment and emotional satisfaction. Participants reported human–macaque interaction nurtured personal growth, family and social ties, and children’s education. Suggestions are offered to park managers and the government for managing human–macaque interaction in the park, such as animal management and education outreach programs.

Distribution of the endangered Barbary macaque and human-macaque interaction in the tourist region of Ouzoud, Central High Atlas of Morocco

Distribution of the endangered Barbary macaque and human-macaque interaction in the tourist region of Ouzoud, Central High Atlas of Morocco

Human-wildlife conflict: proximate predictors of aggression between humans and rhesus macaques in India.

Macaques live in close contact with humans across South and Southeast Asia, and direct interaction is frequent. Aggressive contact is a concern in many locations, particularly among populations of rhesus and longtail macaques that co-inhabit urbanized cities and towns with humans. We investigated the proximate factors influencing the occurrence of macaque aggression toward humans as well as human aggression toward macaques to determine the extent to which human behavior elicits macaque aggression and vice versa. We conducted a 3-month study of four free-ranging populations of rhesus macaques in Dehradun, India from October-December 2012, using event sampling to record all instances of human-macaque interaction (N = 3120). Our results show that while human aggression was predicted by the potential for economic losses or damage, macaque aggression was influenced by aggressive or intimidating behavior by humans as well as recent rates of conspecific aggression. Further, adult female macaques participated in aggression more frequently than expected, whereas adult and subadult males participated as frequently as expected. Our analyses demonstrate that neither human nor macaque aggression is unprovoked. Rather, both humans and macaques are responding to one another's behavior. Mitigation of human-primate conflict, and indeed other types of human-wildlife conflict in such coupled systems, will require a holistic investigation of the ways in which each participant is responding to, and consequently altering, the behavior of the other.

Population density of Taiwanese macaques and human-macaque interactions at Shoushan National Nature Park

Population density of Taiwanese macaques and human-macaque interactions at Shoushan National Nature Park

Impacts of tourism on anxiety and physiological stress levels in wild male Barbary macaques

Wildlife tourism is a burgeoning global industry with the potential to make a significant contribution to the conservation of endangered species. However, a number of studies have provided evidence that tourists’ presence and behaviour may impact negatively on the animals involved, with potentially harmful consequences for their health, reproduction and population viability. Here, we investigate impacts of tourism on wild male Barbary macaques ( Macaca sylvanus) in Morocco, quantifying a behavioural index of animals’ anxiety (self-scratching) and a measure of their physiological stress levels (faecal glucocorticoid concentrations – FGCs). Four measures of tourist presence, number or proximity were explored: maximum number, percentage of time present, mean number while present, and closest proximity to the macaques. In addition, rates of three types of interactions between tourists and macaques – neutral (e.g. photographing), feeding and aggressive – were quantified. Males’ rates of self-scratching were positively related to the mean number of tourists present and to rates of all three human-macaque interactions, but were unrelated to the other three measures of tourist pressure. FGCs were positively related to rates of aggressive interactions between humans and macaques, but unrelated to any of the other six measures of tourist pressure. These findings suggest that while tourist presence and interactions (even apparently innocuous ones) with the macaques elevate the study animals’ anxiety levels, only aggressive interactions are sufficient to elicit a detectable increase in our measure of physiological stress. These results can be used to inform management of tourism both at this site, and at other locations where tourists view and can interact with wild primates.

Characterizing human–macaque interactions in Singapore

Previous studies have noted substantial human-macaque interactions involving physical contact in Bali, Indonesia; Gibraltar; and Mt. Emei, China [Fuentes, American Journal of Primatology 68:880-896, 2006; Zhao, Tibetan macaques, visitors, and local people at Mt. Emei: problems and countermeasures. In: Paterson and Wallis, editor. Commensalism and conflict: the human-primate interface. Norman, OK: American Society of Primatologists. p 376-399, 2005]. The aim of this study was to conduct preliminary observations in order to begin to characterize interaction patterns between humans and long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in Singapore. Unlike Bali, Gibraltar, and Mt. Emei, Singapore occasionally enforces fines and penalties and engages in an education campaign in an effort to minimize physical contact between humans and macaques. Observers stationed at two sites in Singapore conducted 92 5 hr of observation that included 730 human-macaque interactions over 16 days. Data recorded include interaction characteristics, demographic and behavioral variables, presence of feeding by humans, and presence of automobiles. Although feeding by humans was relatively infrequent overall, it generally occurred most often by individuals in cars and when human children were present. Data analysis suggests that interactions involving physical contact between macaques and humans are rare in Singapore, in contrast to the findings from Bali, Gibraltar, and Mt. Emei. This low level of physical contact suggests a low risk of macaque-human pathogen transmission in Singapore.

Human culture and monkey behavior: assessing the contexts of potential pathogen transmission between macaques and humans

An in-depth understanding of the contexts and patterns of human-macaque interactions can play an important role in assessing and managing the potential for pathogen transmission. The Padangtegal Monkey Forest in Bali, Indonesia, and the Upper Rock Nature Reserve in Gibraltar are two sites that have been relatively well studied in regard to human-macaque interactions. This article presents an overview of interaction patterns between humans and macaques at these sites along with a description of the cultural, demographic, and contextual differences between local and nonlocal humans at the sites. Differences in these two sites' interaction patterns included bite rates, the role of food in aggressive interactions, and the context in which the interactions took place. Similarities included overrepresentation by adult male macaques in interactions and a substantial impact by local cultural and demographic factors. These similarities and differences are interpreted as resulting from differences in macaque species and behaviors, and human demography, culture, and behavioral patterns.