Phuket island relocation tackles rampant macaque issue in Phetchaburi communities

In what’s being hailed as a successful initiative, multiple crab-eating macaques have been relocated from communities within Phetchaburi to an island in Phuket, under a pilot project. The venture has cleared the road for the relocation of more from the rapidly increasing macaque population in the province, as well as the neighbouring Prachuap Khiri Khan, according to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

The project is part of the ministry’s efforts to mitigate the damaging effects seen on local communities due to the rapid surge in the macaque population, as advised by Yuthapol Angkinan, consultant to the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment. Yuthapol was given the ministry’s brief to urgently address the macaque-related issues surfacing in Phetchaburi. This came in response to an influx of complaints related to problems caused by the increasingly aggressive monkeys.

In a series of complaints, they were accused of invading residential properties to steal food, causing damage to lampposts, and attacking tourists, travellers and students residents in Phetchaburi’s Mueang district. The district itself has seen a drastic increase in the population of crab-eating macaques – jumping from nearly 9,500 in April to a whopping 20,000 today, informed Phetchaburi governor Natthachai Namphunsuksan.

However, the province’s ability to control these issues is rather restricted due to the macaques’ status as a protected species under the 2019 Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act, thus explaining why several residents have requested their removal from the protected species catalogue.

The pilot project, which commenced half a decade ago, revealed that the macaques have comfortably adapted to their new home on Payu Island in Phuket, without causing any disturbances to the local populace or natural resources, Yuthapol stated. He added that they seem to enjoy residing within the island’s mangrove forest, and their presence has been pivotal in preserving the island’s environment, reported Bangkok Post.

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Veterinarian Pattaraphon Maneeon confirmed that surveys and assessments are currently underway on more islands in nearby provinces to ascertain whether they are suitable for further relocation of macaques from Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan. Any new relocation schemes will only receive the green light post obtaining public approval through hearings, he added.

Concurrent with the relocation efforts, the ministry is also attempting to regulate the macaque population through sterilisation, confirmed Yuthapol.