Members of the public learnt the do’s and don’ts when encountering wild monkeys, particularly long-tailed macaques during a talk by Monkey Guarding, a team of volunteers trained by The Jane Goodall Institute Singapore, hosted by Mabohai Shopping Complex yesterday.
Ineke Evegaars and Alice Vele from Monkey Guarding presented the talk on ‘What To Do When You Encounter A Monkey?’ at the Activity Area of Mabohai Shopping Complex. “Do not have any food exposed; do not eat when monkeys are around; do not hurt or scare monkeys; do not show your teeth, smile or stare at monkeys; do not run; and do not feed the monkey,” said Evegaars, the co-founder of Monkey Guarding.
She added, “Cover up your shopping trolley and use closed bags; put food in a bag and eat in your car instead; ignore monkeys and keep on walking; and dispose waste in closed bins.”
On the monkey situation in the Sultanate, she said, “We are seeing more incidents of monkeys snatching food and items from people. We are trying to raise awareness. The only way to help change the situation is to change customers’ behaviour by covering food and groceries with clothes or closed bags. If a monkey doesn’t see food, they will not approach you.”
Vele said when encountering monkeys it is important to remain calm and keep the monkey in sight.
“If the monkey keeps approaching, you can calmly clap since monkeys do not like vibration. Do not show your teeth or make eye contact as the monkey will view this as a threat and may become aggressive. Don’t turn your back from the monkey.”
On measures against monkeys’ encroaching homes to look for food, she said, “Cover up food in the kitchen or keep food in the cupboard so that the monkey cannot find food. The monkey will notice that there is no food and stop coming to your house.”
Vele added, “We need to respect the monkey. We need to realise that we humans have taken away the monkeys’ habitats and we have to live with them harmoniously. It’s up to us as human to thinks of ways to do so. Our goal is to raise awareness and educate the public.”
The talk aimed to dispel misconceptions and fears surrounding monkeys, fostering a sense of understanding and creating safe boundaries between humans and monkeys in urban areas. – James Kon
