Mating season may be behind monkeying around on Hong Kong MTR tracks: expert

Expert Juha Merilae says July-December mating season drives young male macaques to disperse from their groups, raising the likelihood of more sightings across the city A monkey is spotted in Tsuen Wan station. Photo: Threads Hong Kong could see more monkey encounters during the animals’ mating season, an expert has said, after one was spotted on MTR tracks for a second day in a row. The MTR Corporation, the city’s rail operator, said staff found a monkey loitering near Tsuen Wan station at about 9am on Friday and informed police and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. Services on the Tsuen Wan Line continued, although train frequencies were slightly adjusted. Trains between Tai Wo Hau and Central ran every five minutes, while services between Tsuen Wan and Tai Wo Hau were briefly suspended. Police and department officers later removed the monkey from the track area and services on the Tsuen Wan Line gradually returned to normal at around 10am. A photo released by the railway operator showed the monkey sitting on the tracks, facing dozens of passengers on the platform. An SCMP reporter observed that announcements about an “animal on the track” were played almost continuously in MTR stations. Juha Merilae, a chair professor in ecology and biodiversity at the University of Hong Kong, told the South China Morning Post that the monkeys’ mating season was between July and December, when males dispersed, adding that the city could see more monkeys in the near future. “What I think is going on here is that these are young males dispersing from their natal groups and looking for a new group to live in. Female macaques are philopatric, meaning that they stay in their natal group,” Merilae said. A monkey is sitting on the tracks in Tsuen Wan station. Photo: Threads/ marco.man.son Merilae suggested that train tracks might provide monkeys with an easy route, as they were free of human interference and obstacles. Curious by nature, the animals might stray onto the tracks while searching for food. He said the recent sightings could be coincidental given the species’ mating season, but it was also possible that a previously unseen group had established in the area, with males now dispersing. The typical dispersal distance of these monkeys, macaques, can reach up to 5km (3.11miles) , though it depended on the terrain, with urban areas posing greater challenges. He added that areas with large macaque populations, such as Kowloon Peak and Shing Mun Reservoir, could see more such incidents in the near future, although preventing the animals from entering train tracks might be difficult. “I don’t know how the tracks are protected. My understanding is that there is fencing, but macaques are good climbers, so they can get almost anywhere,” Merilae said. Unhandled type: inline-plus-widget {"type":"inline-plus-widget"} City residents should report monkeys in urban areas to the police or the department, according to Merilae, and avoid approaching them, as the animals have sharp teeth, can become aggressive if threatened and may carry diseases. On Thursday morning, a monkey made its way onto the tracks near Kowloon Bay station during peak hours, prompting trains on the Kwun Tong line to run at reduced speeds and extending journey times by five to eight minutes. Additional reporting by Connor Mycroft