C. Sulawesi monkeys on the brink of extinction

C. Sulawesi monkeys on the brink of extinction

Badri Djawara, Contributor, Palu, Central Sulawesi

Soon, Sulawesi's native monkeys will only be seen in
libraries.

The monkeys, which, in the past, could easily be spotted in
Lore Lindu National Park or along the mountains which stretch
from Poso to Gorontalo, are now very rare indeed.

The Natural Resource Conservation Center (BKSDA) of Central
Sulawesi estimated that in Pangi Binangga, Donggala regency,
there's still some 50 monkeys around. "This is a hybrid zone, the
meeting point of two species: Macaca tonkeana and Macaca hecki,"
said BKSDA's head MZ Hudyono.

As no census was ever taken, the precise number of the monkeys
was still unknown, he added.

Although a special research project had yet to be conducted,
he could be sure that the population of these two groups of
unique monkeys was declining.

Daily observations show that this black fur monkey is now
rarely seen. Some three decades ago, for example, people walking
across the Sulawesi-Toboli-Palu roads would certainly come across
hundreds of these monkeys. Today, you may consider yourself lucky
if you can see one.

Hudyono claimed BKSDA had tried to prevent these native
monkeys from being captured. However, as the monkeys live over a
very wide area, he has found it difficult to carry out this
program.

So far, the center has worked on counseling local residents on
the need to protect the province's endangered species, and even
tried to persuade those keeping the monkeys as pets to set them
free.

Both Macaca hecki and tonkeana are protected based on Minister
of Agriculture Decree No. 421/Kpts/um/8/1970 and Forestry
Minister Decree No. 301/Kpts-II/1991.

A local environmental activist, Nasution Tjamang, lamented the
widespread practice of capturing these endemic monkeys from the
wild. He revealed that the practice had been going on for quite a
while but the authorities were yet to take any measure to put as
stop to it. "The government and the security officers must
immediately take stringent measures to protect rare animals like
these monkeys," he said.

In a book entitled Field Guideline for Indonesia's Primates by
Jatna Supriatna and Edy Hendra W (2000), it is mentioned that in
Sulawesi there are eight species of monkeys of the Macaca family,
two of which are found in C. Sulawesi, Macaca hecki and Macaca
tonkeana.

Locals in Central Sulawesi call Macaca hecki different names
such as dige, buol, bangkolae, dondo and tinombo, while Macaca
Tongkeana is popularly called boti, ibo or oga.

Poaching is one of the main reasons blamed for the declining
number of the species. Usually, the captured monkeys are sold to
foreigners or sent outside the island.

However their worst enemy are the local farmers. With the
increasing number of people, it means wild lands are encroached
upon. Over time, human settlements have overtaken the monkeys'
habitats, and to survive, these monkeys have attacked the crops.
In certain cases, dozens of hectares of corn, bananas and fruits
were completely devoured by these monkeys within a single day. As
a result, farmers consider monkeys their adversaries, so they
hunt them down and sell them at Rp 50,000 a head.

Lakapa, one of the local farmers living just outside the Lore
Lindu National Park, said that about 30 years ago, dozens or even
hundreds of monkeys could still be seen getting into the crops.

"Today only one or two monkeys will come for our crops," he
said.

In the Guidelines for Indonesian Primates, it is also
mentioned that Macaca hecki weighs from 6.8 to 11.2 kilograms and
is 497 to 557 milimeters in length. It has a wide face and a
front tuft that stands erect. Also its bottom is larger than that
of other Sulawesi monkeys. Macaca hecki lives in groups of 10 to
15. Both Hecki and Tongkeana monkeys can mate.

The Macaca tonkeana species spreads over the widest area in
Sulawesi. This monkey weighs about 12 to 14 kilograms and is 500
to 700 milimeters in length with a tail between 30 and 70
milimeters long. These monkeys live in groups of 25 to 40.

Each group of the monkeys is led by an alpha male, who is
distinguishable from the others due by his loud voice. They have
always lived on the plains of Central Sulawesi and have two sub-
species of cousins, the Macaca tonkeana togenanus, which live
only on the Togean islands in Poso regency, and Macaca
balantakensis, which live in Balantak in Luwuk Banggai regency.