NParks sterilising long-tailed macaques at Maju Forest to manage population

In June, Singapore's National Parks Board (NParks) initiated a sterilisation programme for long-tailed macaques in Maju Forest to control population numbers and minimise human-wildlife encounters. Residents had reported macaques frequently entering homes near Sunset Way, Clementi Road, and Clementi Avenue 4. NParks group director How Choon Beng explained that the board is collaborating with authorities and the community on a multifaceted approach, including reducing human food sources, enhancing education about macaque encounters, and deploying monkey guarding patrols.

The government received around 2,500 cases of monkey-related feedback annually between 2017 and 2022, a 35 per cent increase from a decade earlier. Sterilisation involves trapping macaques in a designated enclosure and returning them to their habitat, where their social groups remain intact and new births gradually decline. Experts emphasise the importance of sufficient habitats for native species and consistent monkey guarding efforts in hotspot areas.

Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) also cautioned that macaque troops may fragment when sterilisation occurs or development works happen, which is a concern in Singapore's urban setting.