Black Macaque Population In Indonesia See Better Outlook Since
at least the 1970s, the population of critically endangered
Sulawesi black macaques living in an Indonesian nature reserve
has been dropping. But a new study by researchers at the
University of Washington and in Indonesia shows that the
population has stabilized over the past decade. The findings,
published in the January issue of the American Journal of
Primatology, are from the longest ongoing survey of Macaca nigra
and are among the first evidence that the monkeys may be in
better shape. “Fifteen years ago it looked like this macaque
population would continue its decline and eventually disappear,”
said Randall Kyes, lead author and UW research professor of
psychology. This study “doesn’t mean that everything is fine now
and that we no longer need to worry about the fate of these
animals, but it is good news compared with what we’ve seen over
the past 30-plus years in this reserve.” Since 1997, Kyes and
his Indonesian colleagues have conducted c