Macaque Data: T2W4

Nic and Nat (BT)

- 5pm - arrived, monkeys seen everywhere

- 5.30pm - 21 monkeys seen around big bin
- 6pm - 7 monkeys seen around big bin
- spotted a hole in the big bin (possibly made by the monkeys?)
- plastic bags and litter strewn everywhere (by the monkeys?)

Macaque behaviour observed:

grooming each other
playing and chasing each other (sometimes violently)
high-pitched shrieking
rummaging through bins (especially the big bin)
crossing roads, know how to stop when they see cars driving through
sit on roads and on road curbs
climbing and running on cars
groom each other on top of cars (disregarding all humans around) [watch video]
walked through houses (even those with dogs)
flipped open dustbin lids (at least 5 times)
search through plastic bags, carried them around, causing litter to be everywhere
picking and eating out of bins and plastic bags
knocked over bins when trying to open (tried hard to, but could not as there were devices the macaques could not remove, holding the lid down)
groups of monkeys walked past us < half a metre away
completely unafraid of humans

Human behaviour observed:

go VERY close to the monkeys
take pictures < 1m away
entire families surrounding groups of monkeys
caucasian woman chased away large group of monkeys from the big bin
caucasian woman closed the lid of the big bin more than 3 times
caucasian woman encouraged her children to go closer to the macaques to observe them [video]
told children "they can't hurt you" (MISCONCEPTION!)
children posed with the monkeys (for pictures) < 1m away (mother was not worried at all, just happily snapping away with her camera)
one man cautions people about the monkeys (that they can be violent and can snatch things from out of your hands)
many people stood VERY close to the macaques, even allowing their kids to squat down and try to play with the monkeys

- will interview residents next week