HONG KONG- wild monkeys do not seem to care that Hong Kong is a jungle of concrete - they thrive on its fringes the Government introduced birth against a population explosion control.
Polycopiés easy food of some humans of seven million of the city helped push macaque numbers to more than 2 000 years - and an increase in complaints of nuisance on monkeys who have lost a natural fear of people.
"I think we have enough space for wildlife." But the campaign and the city are adjacent with each other, and sometimes, there is a conflict, said Chung-tong Shek of the Department of conservation of the Government.
Reports of aggressive monkeys, hunting hikers for food, seizing bags and reaching pockets coated in recent years as the macaque population has increased.
Roaming monkeys with a flavour acquired the food still sometimes run on crowded city shopping districts.
In April, was the way to Central Kowloon, about a band of camera shops, hotels and shops of fashion known locally as the Golden Mile.
"There is enough food in the city in the garbage." Some of them get lost in the city... from time to time, "Shek told AFP."
A ban on feeding of ten years with the threat of a maximum HKD10, 000 ($1287) fine hardly dented the volumes of food on offer supporters and tourists. So, the Government turned to the birth control.
First field trials were conducted in 2002, in the world? s first contraceptive program targeting a population of the entire city of macaques, by using methods, including the vasectomies on men and temporary injections on females.
Now, the program focuses on female sterilization, which is done on two times per month, for a total of monkeys permanently or temporarily neutered at more than 1,500.
The first problem was catch monkeys.
All monkeys are on the Kowloon peninsula, especially around Kam Shan and Lion Rock country park with some groups of devices on the northwest side of the territory.
"It"? s very difficult for people to catch a monkey. "We tried everything," said Sally Kong, a spokesman for the Department of conservation.
NET-guns, cage traps, live decoys, snares and guns have been used. But most of the methods could not be used a few times before wise animal for them.
Before long, even monkeys learned to recognize the staff of conservation of each Department and their vehicles and avoid all together.
Now the large, baited cages are left open for days at a time, provided by human feeders known and approved by the monkeys.
"That way when we trap them in there they don?". panic t. They keep eating just in as they? ve been there several times before, "said Paolo Martelli, veterinary Chief to the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, which is contracted to carry out sterilization.
"What we do, is remove the tubes." There are between the uterus and ovaries small tubes that we cut in keyhole surgery very precise. Go us and delete the two pieces of tube out. Just a few minutes, "said Martelli.
"It"? s beneficial to maintain their ovaries intact because hormonal very important role they play, "he explained."
Experts working on the project say that contraception plan is not to eliminate the macaques, but is a conservation measure which makes it possible for wildlife to continue existing on the limits of the city.
The program has received the support of independent rights groups of animals.
"Contraceptives are so much better than poisoning or other lethal methods that cause animals so much suffering," said Ashley Fruno, spokesman for people for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, in the Asia-Pacific region.
"It is another excellent example of non-lethal methods used to control wildlife population."
The monkeys seen today in Hong Kong are supposed to be the descendants of a few macaques Rhesus out beginning of the century last to eat poisonous plants around a newly constructed reservoir, the town water supply.
Strychnos plants are toxic to humans, but a favourite food for monkeys, said Department of conservation.
There isn? t a certain number of specific targets for the city? s wild monkey population, Shek told AFP, but the nuisance calls decreased in 2006 from a peak of 1 400 less than 200 in the past two years.
"Depends really on what people can tolerate." Sometimes seeing a monkey, it is the reason for a person to call. This would be recorded as a same if nuisance complaint monkey do? t does something, "said Karthi Martelli, Manager of project with the Ocean Park conservation group.
"I always tell people: the spirit of your ways of monkey." When you? Re afraid to do you something stupid and people blame the monkeys. If ignore you the monkey and foot that they too get bored. They don? t plot to attack, "she said."
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