BoBo – The Southern Pig-tailed Macaque

Meet Bobo – a 5-year-old female Southern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina) who had been kept as a pet for five years in Samut Songkhram, south of Bangkok. She was purchased illegally from Facebook for 5000THB when she was approximately 3 months old by international resident. The lady in question is going home soon so needed to find a suitable new place for her pet monkey. She was still sleeping in the bed with her owner, and had been provided with a cage in the garden during the day.

The Southern pig-tailed Macaque is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the population has declined dramatically over the last few decades, primarily due to hunting and habitat loss. Main threats – Destruction of forests by felling, habitat encroachment, slash and burn cultivation of the hill tribes and monoculture are all major threats. The rate of forest destruction is alarming, and is not only reducing this primate’s habitat, but also fragmenting it. The macaque’s taste for agricultural crops has also deemed it a pest, and it is therefore frequently shot on sight. Furthermore, this species macaques are very popular for use in biomedical research laboratories.

Bobo arrived at WFFT yesterday and seems to be settling in well. WFFT currently houses two other Southern pig-tailed macaques, male silver and female Nam Phet, we hope that we can introduce all three monkeys together soon. Silver has already shown great interest in her from a distance. We will keep you updates on her progress.