A Road Traffic Accident Macaque Rescue

Today we received a call from a compassionate local man who had seen a macaque laying on the ground after being hit by a car. The man sent us photographs of the macaque, the poor monkey was clearly in urgent need of help. The WFFT Wildlife Rescue Team headed out immediately to try and save him. The macaque was next to a temple near Cha-am, approximately 30 minutes away from the WFFT Wildlife Rescue Centre. Upon arrival the team found the adult male long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) almost motionless. The team loaded him into the rescue vehicle and took him directly to WFFT for an x-ray to determine how severe the injuries were. The results of the x-ray show that nothing was broken. The WFFT Vet Team also checked his health and overall condition. The poor critter, even if without any obvious major injures, will receive the care he deserves and needs till he recovers and be able to return to the wild where he comes from. The health cheek revealed numerous rotten teeth so he will require some dental work before being released back the the wild.

The long-tailed macaque is listed as Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN Red list of Threatened Species, in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, occurrence in a number of protected areas. Although it is under heavy hunting pressure for the pet trade, meat, sport and trophies, this is not considered a major threat to the species overall. Females are often taken into breeding facilities and males are exported internationally primarily for use in laboratory research. They are regularly persecuted as pests. Habitat loss is also a localised threat, but the species can persist in a variety of habitats and very adaptable.

We will, of course, keep you updated on his future released.