Status monitoring of isolated populations of macaques and other nonhuman primates in Thailand

Abstract

Macaques and other nonhuman primates in Thailand play important roles both in the ecosystem and as mythological figures in Thai society. Most live safely in the country's protected areas such as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and Buddhist temples; however, these populations are isolated. The first survey to confirm the status of 52 isolated populations of primates in Thailand was conducted in 1989-1991 and it assessed population size, age-sex composition, habitat availability, resource provisioning by humans, and the attitude of local people. Of the 52 sites, 21 sites were completely isolated from other populations of the same species. A resurvey of some of these populations was conducted after 20 years in 20092010. Twenty-three out of the 25 visited sites had Macaca fascicularis, only one site had Macaca assamensis with two Macaca arctoides individuals, and one newly discovered site had the introduced green monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops) that was released from a zoo. At one site, M. Fascicularis was extirpated, while 12 sites experienced an increase in the number of populations.