MACAQUES are very social primates and the act of grooming is an important ritual that strengthens bonds between individuals. Who you are able to groom, and who you allow to groom you, speaks volumes in macaque communities.
Southern Pig-Tailed Macaques, or otherwise locally known as beruk, share the same trait. So do humans – who we hang out with, who we allow to hang out with us – are sometimes used as social signals of our place in society.
In this case, the juvenile Southern Pig-tailed Macaque has no choice but to allow mommy to groom him in front of everyone. Let’s see how many fat juicy kutus will be plucked from his scalp.
The photo was taken on the fringes of Taman TAR in Ampang. That’s literally the edge of the city. From there, the jungle goes all the way to the Central Forest Spine and beyond. And what makes this fringe special is that you will be able to see lots of birds and wildlife at this place where the habitats of man and wildlife blend into one.
The local population of the Southern Pig-Tailed Macaques is currently on the decline, with the IUCN listing them as a ‘Vulnerable’ population at the last count. If we are not mindful, we may also witness the day when these charismatic cousins of ours become endangered.
Fun fact: their eyes are the most similar to ours out of all the other primate species. So much so that experiments pertaining to optical signals, such as those conducted in epilepsy research, use these macaques in the laboratories. We owe a huge debt to our primate cousins for the advancements in medical sciences. The least we can do is to ensure their habitats remain viable to sustain those in the wild. – The Vibes, November 14, 2021
Peter Ong is a wildlife photographer and board member of Roots & Shoots Malaysia and is one of the mentors of the Roots & Shoots Malaysia Award (Rasma) program, where he interacts with and encourages youths to get involved with Malaysian NGOs to be a part of the solution to the issues faced by wildlife, society and our environment.
