Long-Tailed Macaque

Long-tailed Macaque || Batu Caves, Malaysia 2015⠀

After completing fieldwork in Borneo in the Summer of 2015, I had the opportunity to explore Asia for a few weeks. Dense with culture and brimming with wildlife, urban-dwelling primates are not unusual in many parts of Malaysia. In fact, humans and long-tailed macaques have shared environments since prehistoric times! The troops of macaques that live in the hills around the Batu Caves fearlessly interact with visitors, often looking for food or shiny objects. This interaction is referred to as synanthropic behavior and is caused by habitat loss and resource competition. And while urban macaques might bring in tourists who have never been able to closely interact with wildlife, efforts need to be taken to avoid potential human-wildlife conflicts✌🏼❤️🐒🌱⠀

Stay wild,

Lily