Culling wildlife not a permanent answer

Straits Times Forum 18 Oct 11;

MR PAUL Chan called for the culling of monkeys as a punishment for misbehaviour ('Cull monkeys if over-population is the problem'; Oct 10).

While it is important for wild animals to keep their distance, Mr Chan's sentiments do not consider the complexities of the problem.

Although culling is often a necessary part of managing human-wildlife conflict, it should be used as a last resort. Its biggest flaw is that it is a temporary measure. Rather, one should ask why these monkeys have turned so bold in the first place. And that boils down to people who deliberately feed them.

Despite the abundance of garbage bins, a great deal of littering occurs in our parks. Much of the trash consists of food wrappers and packaging, which only allows monkeys to discover that human food is tasty and should be sought out.

Culling will not offer a permanent answer. There must be greater enforcement against people who ignore the rules and continue feeding the monkeys. Garbage bin design must be improved to prevent monkeys from accessing their contents.

The greatest tool is education. Park visitors must behave responsibly to minimise the risk of conflict. For example, as many monkeys now associate plastic bags with food, one should conceal food and drinks.

When eating within the park, check that there are no monkeys watching, and finish a meal quickly. The forest is not a place for a leisurely picnic.

Keep a respectable distance between oneself and a monkey. All too often, a crowd will gather around a monkey to take photos and approach it while talking loudly, hollering to their companions or squealing in delight.

Should a monkey get up and approach a person, the best course of action is to walk away slowly and calmly.

The parks and forests are not solely for our enjoyment; they are the habitats of a great number of species, and we must know that we are encroaching on the monkeys' domain rather than the other way round.

We must be pragmatic and accept that occasional clashes between man and monkey cannot be eliminated without the total eradication of either species.

Ultimately, resolving human-wildlife conflict is more about altering human behaviour and attitudes than it is about reducing the risk of attack by wild animals.

Ivan Kwan