June Hols W2

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
Nic and Nat

5.24pm:

- around 29 macaques

- around 32 people

- big bin not there

- whole site rather clean and not a lot of rubbish around

5.40pm:

- around 32 macaques

- around 26 people

6pm:

- around 23 macaques

- around 30 people

Macaque behavior:

- walking on roads

- grooming each other

- disregard of human and cars

- come very close to humans

- sit and walk on cars

- play in the middle of roads

- trying to open bins

- rummaging through bins

- eating from styrofoam boxes

- one monkey snatched bag of chips from a boy (almost scratched boy)

- walk through houses

- made screechy noises at each other

Human behavior:

- go very near macaques (<1m)

- taking pictures of macaques

- little kids shouting at monkeys

- mother (and mho) allow kids to continue, even laughing at the scene

- some bins not locked/closed

- one little girl wanted to touch a baby monkey but parents scolded her and dragged her away

- one man feeding monkeys bread

TIff and Ying

4.40pm: Reached lab area. Saw 2 monkeys near the slope at the end of Wallace Trail. We tried to take a picture of them but they disappeared into the trees. Attempted to look for them along the trail.

5pm: Found 6 monkeys

Macaque behaviour:

- climbed along branches

- grooming each other

- feeding on leaves, twigs and flowers

- shrieking 

- retreating deeper into trees/disappearing into the trees when humans make a lot of noise

human behaviour:

- middle-aged woman with her young son were walking along the trail. Young boy started screaming and pointing at the monkeys, trying to attract the macaques' attention. 

- middle-aged couple stood for awhile to observe the macaques at safe distance. (>1m)

- a few other people just ignored the macaques.