Monkeys now seen in areas far from usual habitats

The public has been shooting photos and videos of monkeys in areas

far from their usual habitats, such as Shatin, Ma On Shan,

and Tseung Kwan O. An advocacy group suggests this may be

related to tighter regulations on illegal feeding.

In July this year, a housing estate in Shatin town centre was "invaded" by monkeys.

They stayed in the estate for a full week before finally being captured

and removed by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

According to Shatin District Councilor Calvin Tang,

he and the residents originally suspected the group

of around 10 monkeys were just sheltering from the rain,

and that they would leave once the weather cleared up.

But after a few days

they discovered even more monkeys

hanging around the 4th-floor podium of the estate.

According to AFCD statistics, there are currently

about 2,000 monkeys in Hong Kong. To prevent the monkey population

from growing excessively, the government amended the law two years ago

to step up regulations against the illegal feeding of wild animals.

But activist Chan Ka-chun says

without people feeding them, food sources dried up.

This while the monkey population continues to grow.

More animals and less food mean they venture

more into residential areas.

In recent years, AFCD has planted around 300,000 trees

with leaves and fruits

suitable for monkey consumption

in their natural habitats to reduce their reliance on human feeding.

Lawmaker Steven Ho suggests the department can consider

planting even more food sources in wild areas far from

residential neighbourhoods to lure them back into the mountains.

He believes growing more hunger-satisfying agricultural produce

in suitable planting areas could be a viable approach.