Baby long-tailed macaques seen playing on fence near Lower Peirce Reservoir

A woman was delighted to stumble upon a troop of long-tailed macaques relaxing near Lower Peirce Reservoir (LPR) on Sep. 11.

A wildlife photographer by hobby, Jessica Emmett told Mothership she would often go to the LPR with her camera looking for long-tailed macaques when she feels down.

"Their dynamic nature always brightens my day," she said.

On Sep. 11, she had no luck there initially and was leaving the reservoir park when she saw a flash of movement.

There, running along the top of a wire fence near the park entrance, was a macaque.

As more appeared, there were soon a troop of more than 20 long-tailed macaques — about four babies along with adults and juveniles.

Emmett described the babies as very cute and tiny, which was echoed by many comments when she shared some of her photos on the Nature Society Singapore Facebook group.

Some of the monkeys climbed up and down the fence and small trees nearby, while some others explored the inside of a worker's truck, Emmett told Mothership.

The mother macaques kept a close watch throughout.

Although she said that seeing long-tailed macaques climbing fences is "nothing new or special", she felt lucky to be able to observe them that day.

"I do not take for granted moments like that where I can just watch animals in the wild doing their thing," she said. "I left feeling recharged and uplifted."

Mixed perceptions

As at the time of writing, Emmett's Facebook post has received around 2,300 likes and over 180 shares.

She was pleasantly surprised and grateful that the post was well received, as she had been nervous about it.

"Long-tailed macaques get a lot of bad press along with a few other animals in Singapore like crows, otters and boars," she said.

The primates, which are native to Singapore, typically live at the fringes of forested areas, but also have been sighted at residential areas.

They may visit homes to explore or to seek food due to their innate curiosity, according to NParks.

Emmett ultimately decided on posting as she believed "it is important for awareness and balance".

"I feel if people understood the reasons why animals react or behave in a certain way, it would help with coexistence."

According to NParks, members of the public should avoid feeding monkeys, as they might associate people with food and become aggressive towards humans.

If you encounter a monkey:

• Remain calm and quiet. Do not make sudden movements and do not maintain direct eye contact with the monkey.
• Look away and back off slowly. Do not turn away from the monkeys and run.
• If you are holding an object that is attracting the monkeys, discard or conceal it.

Top photos from Jessica Emmett