Population dynamics of the feral macaques in the Kowloon Hills of Hong Kong

Hong Kong's feral monkey population is controversial. Many people complain about the aggressiveness of the monkeys, while some conservationists urge the government to deal with the problem in a way that will not harm the monkeys. The population dynamics of the macaques in the Kowloon Hills were studied in 1992 and 1993. Vital statistics are provided from this study as a first step in resolving the problems of human provisioning and wildlife management. It is unlikely that these macaques are indigenous to the area. They are the descendents of macaques that were released in the early twentieth century to control the spread of a local poisonous plant, the strychnos, which contains alkaloids poisonous to livestock and humans but which is a favorite food of the macaques. The macaque population expanded dramatically during the 1980s. The census method employed in this study is direct head count and photoidentification. At the end of 1993, the estimated abundance was 690 (+/- 6) in eight social groups in the Kowloon Hills. Species found were rhesus (Macaca mulatta) 65.3\%, longtailed (M. fascicularis) 2.2\%, Tibetan (M. thibetana) 0.2\%, and hybrids 32.3\%. The overall home ranges occupied 2.15 km(2), resulting in a very high macaque density of 326 per km(2). The birth rates were 56.9\% and 69.4\% in 1992 and 1993, respectively. Mean adult sex ratio (M:F) was 1:2.2 for social groups and 1:1.6 including all peripheral males. The main mortality factor was road accidents and these contributed to the "missing rate" of 9.8\% and 10.6\% in 1992 and 1993, respectively. Population growth was 5.6\% in 1992 and 9.8\% in 1993. The estimated macaque population in the year 2000 will be around 1,100 if conditions remain favorable. Management strategies are recommended. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc