TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tourists having their food stolen by wild macaques has become such a problem at Taroko National Park that an indoor dining area for guests has been built.
The dining area will open on the floor above an existing 7-Eleven in the park’s Tianxiang Recreation Area on Thursday (Aug. 24), the park’s management office said in a press release. It added the thieving monkeys in question are Formosan rock macaques, and are the only native primates in Taiwan.
“Food being out in the open is the main reason for conflicts between humans and monkeys at or around the convenience store,” the office said. It added that the macaques are native to the area, and have unfortunately developed an appetite for human-produced foods, which is not healthy for them.
“The continuous stream of people coming out of the 7 Eleven holding and eating foods is targeted by the macaques, and it becomes a looting area,” the office said, and the dining area is intended to help solve this problem. It added items easily snatched include rice balls, fruits, sugary drinks, and anything wrapped in plastic.
The newly constructed indoor dining area. (Taroko National Park Management photo)
Visitors are advised to keep their food in opaque, non-plastic bags or containers when in the park, and avoid eating and drinking outdoors. “Please join us to achieve the goal, together with the monkeys,” the office said.
It also provided some guidelines to follow for human-macaque (non) interaction:
- No feeding the monkeys
- No provoking the monkeys
- No touching the monkeys
- No eating outside
- Cover food
- Keep a distance of at least five meters from the monkeys
The second floor of this 7-Eleven has been converted into a dining area and will open Thursday. (Google Maps screenshot)
