- Residents and beachgoers on the Indonesian island Batam have complained that they are being terrorized by monkeys looking for food.
- Conservationists believe the problem is that long-tailed Macaques are being removed from their natural habitat by deforestation and have become accustomed being fed by humans.
- Batams Mirota Beach is known for its no-feeding signs. Food waste left outside homes attracts the monkeys.
- Human-primate conflicts are common in Indonesian other parts, including Balis Monkey Forest, which is located at the foot Javas Mount Semeru after an eruption. Sumatra, Borneo, and Sumatra are also areas where orangutans are threatening their forest homes.
BATAM (Indonesia) On a October day, the huts along Mirota Beach were crowded with people enjoying the soft white sands and calm waters. The arrival of a group of macaques, long-tailed macaques, disrupted the tranquility.Macaca fascicularis) in search of food. The monkeys emerged one by one from a grouping of trees just a short distance away from the huts.
As the macaques approached some of the visitors raced away. “I was so afraid, I just left all my stuff behind to be taken,” a visitor named Dilla said with resignation as she carried her baby away from the marauding monkeys.
Some visitors stayed because they wanted to protect their belongings. Others stayed to protect their belongings. However, others stayed to feed the monkeys for amusement or misguided charity.
This is why macaques return to the beach every year: they always have visitors who are willing to feed them. This not only makes them expect handouts, but also makes them less afraid to interact with humans. Some of the macaques even climb on top of the huts so that they can look down into the visitors’ bags in the hopes of finding more food.
Mirota Beach is found on the island Batam, which is part of Indonesia’s Riau Islands province. It is just a short boat trip from Singapore. Batam, which is home to large industrial estates and is not known as a beach destination due to its proximity to Singapore, has several nice beaches, including Mirota, which is about a two-hour drive away from Batam City. This beach is mostly visited by locals.
The macaques are causing a lot of trouble at the beach. Many tourists feed the monkeys despite signs warning against it.
Mongabay was told by Patra, a beach official, that the monkeys don’t disturb humans unless they are provoked. “The important thing is not to feed them, that’s all,” he said, adding that feeding even a single monkey causes its entire pack to return. Patra said that they won’t attack humans but he’s had to chase them away when they attempted to steal garbage from the trash cans.
Residential raiders
The tourists at Mirota Beach are not the only ones who are troubled by the long-tailed Macaques. They are increasingly entering Batams residential areas, which is causing concern for locals.
Decky, the provincial conservation agency’s head of conservation, said that he is often contacted by people reporting macaques being found in or around their homes. Decky stated that the agency responds by catching and relocating monkeys to remote forests or islands.
“We also educate the public about not throwing away food waste carelessly, especially from housing located close to the forest or other habitats of the long-tailed macaques,” Decky said.
Decky stated that it can be difficult to catch and move monkeys. The BKSDA cannot move all macaques at once, making it a poor long-term solution for the growing monkey problem.
Decky stated that macaques are increasingly becoming involved in conflict with humans because of the shrinking forest cover in Batam, making it more difficult to find food.
Decky said that although we haven’t done any research into it, it is likely similar to cases where animals become more dependent on humans and their habitats. “If they get more used to humans and their environments, they will also become more daring.”
Iwan Kurniawan is a researcher at the Aspinall Foundation, an animal welfare charity. He said that long-tailed macaques are found all over Indonesia. Iwan stated that their population will likely decrease over the next five-years due to environmental pressures.
“That includes Batam, where the [environmental]He explained that the monkeys will descend to the beach when there is too much pressure. Its similar to Java, where only 10% of our protected forests still remain.”
Iwan said that Indonesians often consider macaques pests because they reproduce so quickly. He explained that this is due to their main predators, tigers, and eagles becoming endangered. Their high reproductive rate and shrinking habitat make conflict with humans almost inevitable.
Pay attention to the signs
Iwan stated that there is no humane and long-term solution to macaques. It is therefore important to educate the public not to feed monkeys.
Iwan said that Batam residents sometimes call the police about monkeys in their area. Sometimes, this leads to the police shooting the animal rather than capturing them and releasing them elsewhere.
“Even though these animals are not considered protected, the BKSDA offers better solutions so they dont have to be shot and killed,” he said.
Iwan suggested that the macaques should be relocated to an uninhabited island like the Nusa Barung Island Wildlife Sanctuary (East Java). “Let them just enjoy their lives there, where their ability to reproduce is naturally restricted. It is important that we don’t just kill them. They are also created by the Almighty. We can’t just destroy them, we have to live in balance.” He suggested spaying the monkeys before releasing them as another way to keep their numbers in check.
Iwan mentioned that long-tailed Macaques are more susceptible to diseases such as rabies. “Many people forget about this, but interacting with these monkeys can be very dangerous for humans,” he said.
The Jakarta Animal Aid Network, (JAAN), is a non-profit organization that has long supported Indonesian animal rights. Rifqi Ajir (a JAAN activist) agreed with Iwans’ sentiment that monkeys pose a danger to humans because they can transmit rabies or tuberculosis.
Rifqi said that JAANs experience dealing with similar cases had taught them the monkeys will return as long people at Mirota Beach provide food. “The managers of these tourism sites must put up more signs, bigger signs, saying its forbidden to feed them.”
Rifqi stated that macaques often target food waste in trash cans when they enter residential areas. “One way to deal with this is to make the trash bins around housing estates difficult for the monkeys to open.
Rifqi stated that the only way to stop the macaques returning is to cut off their food supply. Even firing a gun into their faces can’t stop them.
Rizqi warned that shooting at the monkeys can be dangerous and inhumane. “If one is hurt, for example, while being chased away by somebody shooting at them, the whole herd may retaliate. These long-tailed monkeys have a sense of vengeance and there have been many cases of them attacking people.”
Rifqi stated that the BKSDA can move monkeys to other islands. However, only those islands have been surveyed and found to be suitable for hungry macaques. “If there are already other groups, but more are relocated, there will be clashes between them.”
Batam isn’t the only place where man and monkey are increasingly in conflict. Reports have emerged that Mount Semeru, East Java’s volcano, erupted in December.Macaques approach humans from the forest floor and descend upon themThey were previously fed often by tourists who had hiked up the mountain, and they are now in search of food. The famous Monkey Forest macaques in Bali have also been reported to have taken toIn search of food, raiding homesAfter the pandemic, most tourists had stopped visiting the holiday island.
As a result, the Indonesian orangutans have been increasingly endangered Their habitats have been destroyed by mass deforestation. The activists demand that the Indonesian government make a serious commitment towards protecting the country’s primates and reverse deforestation in order to save them. In the past, government officials have made lofty promises to reduce deforestation. Experts are skepticalHow sincere they are about living upto their expectations.
Banner image:Long-tailed monkeys climbed to Mirota Beach to find food from the tourists. Image by Yogi Eska Sahputra/Mongabay Indonesia
This story was first reported on by Mongabays Indonesia Team and published HereOur website Indonesian siteDecember 4, 2021