It is not all Monkey Business with Monkey Guards

Article by Sia Sin Wei, Monkey Guard with the Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore)

March has arrived, and this can only mean that the annual International Macaque Day is upon us once again! It is a day for us to celebrate macaques and advocate for coexistence with this group of primates.

Macaques in Singapore are the long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis). The Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore) (JGIS) contributes to the conservation of our local macaques in various ways. We work together with our partners and in formal collaborations with other stakeholders, such as the Long-tailed Macaque Working Group (LTMWG) and Our Wild Neighbours (OWN), to promote our shared interests and coordinate efforts in promoting human-macaque coexistence through public outreach.

One of the main projects that we have is the JGIS Monkey Guards Programme, where we train volunteers from all walks of life to contribute to harmonious human-macaque relationships in Singapore. We train volunteers in monkey guarding techniques and basic macaque behaviour, so that they can patrol hotspots where humans and macaques interact and deter and prevent monkeys from entering places where they are not welcome - like residential homes.

I observe the macaques with my camera. All in a day’s work! Credit: Sabrina Jabbar

Monkey guarding does not mean that we eliminate all sightings of monkeys. In Singapore, where we are fortunate to have nature at our doorstep (or even just next door!), we can and should expect to see wildlife like macaques near our spaces, hence it is important to learn to coexist alongside our wild neighbours. This is even more so for macaques, as they mainly live on forest fringes where our forests meet the urbanised areas where we live and work, meaning that if you have the privilege to live near our green spaces, seeing wildlife like macaques should not be considered an abnormal sight!

Being a monkey guard allows you to have a front-row seat to witness macaque behaviour, which can be surprisingly human-like. It is heartwarming to see macaques bonding with each other by grooming - just as humans bond with family through talking and spending time with each other. Juveniles play and explore their world like human children, while always under the watchful eye of parents, aunties and elders. Or they just sit around like they don’t have a care in the world, while surveying their territory to plan their next move.

Sharing a tender moment

Surveying their realm from the BTNR visitor’s centre

Being a monkey guard also allows you to witness how macaques navigate the urbanised world. While most interactions are a nothingburger, sometimes these interactions can be too close for comfort. Over time, macaques have learned to enter people’s residences in search of tasty treats and to take people's food. Residents going home after grocery shopping may carry plastic bags with food and drinks, and feel scared as the macaques try to grab such items. As monkey guards, our role is to pre-empt such interactions as best as we can by advising residents and the public to take precautions.

Macaques eating natural fruits, i.e. what they should be eating.

A macaque exploring a box in the residential area for tasty morsels

And that’s why education awareness is so important! We do outreach, whether it is engaging people we happen to meet when we are doing monkey guarding, or more dedicated efforts to educate residents in hotspots like Punggol with our partners and collaborators. Here in JGIS, we believe that education awareness is an essential pillar in tackling human-wildlife issues. Every little bit helps to move towards our goal where humans can live in harmony with macaques and other wildlife in our “City in Nature”.

We can all play our part. Firstly, you can support conservation measures for our forests, allowing macaques and other wildlife to retain their habitats for survival. Secondly, if you live in or are close to macaque hotspots, take action to avoid feeding the macaques, whether intentionally or unintentionally. When the feeding stops, the intrusions to our living spaces and human-macaque conflict can stop too, paving the way for our continued coexistence. Lastly, do consider contributing to and volunteering for our nature groups, whether it is with us or our OWN partners. Conservation is for everyone!

Guarding Macaques together as a team. Credits: Sabrina Jabbar

If you want to learn about our work and join our team, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram or visit our website!