Monkey business? Macaques play repairmen, strip lampposts on Old Upper Thomson Road

A troop of long-tailed macaques on Old Upper Thomson Road has apparently decided to branch out from the mundane routine of swinging through trees.

Their latest venture: street light maintenance.

Qualifications: none.

Enthusiasm for taking things apart: considerable.

They were spotted on Sept 21 “overhauling” roadside lampposts along the narrow, winding, forested road, twisting off components, dropping those onto the road, and carrying some away for further “inspection”.

A reporter from Chinese news daily Lianhe Zaobao who was passing through the area said he first heard a crack, followed by the sound of an object breaking on the road.

Looking up, he saw a monkey perched above the fallen equipment.

Monkeys on two nearby lampposts were also at work, gripping and twisting cylindrical fittings until they came loose, then tossing them down.

Photos and videos showed one macaque crouching over a fitting, working it with both hands. Another stood on a lamp – the “supervisor”, apparently – while a companion clung to the pole.

One macaque later sat on the roadside yellow line, examining a black, round device believed to have been removed from a lamppost. Its casing was open, exposing the internal parts.

Witnesses said similar equipment appeared to have been removed from at least three or four lampposts. Some parts were left on the road or verge.

In reply to queries from The Straits Times, the National Parks Board (NParks) said it was aware of a video showing long-tailed macaques removing lamppost components and had previously received a report of a similar mischief nearby.

“Macaques are naturally curious and may explore unfamiliar objects in their environment,” said How Choon Beng, NParks’ group director of wildlife management.

The animals may have removed the components out of curiosity or during play, he said.

NParks described the incidents as isolated and said it would continue to monitor the situation.

The lights appeared to remain on in the footage despite the monkeys’ handiwork.

What the removed components do and whether their removal could affect the lights’ operation remained undetermined.

Long-tailed macaques live along forest fringes and move between forest patches in search of food and territory, NParks said.

Measures to manage encounters include tackling wildlife feeding, proper waste disposal, harvesting fruit trees, installing monkey-proof fittings, monkey guarding and relocating individual animals where appropriate.

Sterilisation is also being carefully studied and implemented where appropriate.

For anyone encountering these budding technicians, NParks’ advice is to remain calm and quiet, avoid sudden movements and eye contact, look away, and back off slowly.

Stay away until the macaques have left, and keep plastic bags out of sight because the animals associate them with food and may try to snatch them.

Members of the public can call the 24-hour Animal Response Centre at 1800-476-1600.

The monkeys, however, have yet to provide a number for their repair hotline.