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In 2022, long‐tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), a once ubiquitous primate species, was elevated to Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. In 2023, recognizing that the long‐tailed macaque is threatened by multiple factors: (1) declining native habitats across Southeast Asia; (2) overutilization for scientific, commercial, and recreational purposes; (3) inadequate regulatory mechanisms; and (4) culling due to human–macaque conflicts, a petition for rulemaking was submitted to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to add the species to the US Endangered Species Act, the nation's most effective law to protect at risk species. The long‐tailed macaque remains unprotected across much of its geographical range despite the documented continual decline of the species and related sub‐species and the recent IUCN reassessment. This commentary presents a review of the factors that have contributed to the dramatic decline of this keystone species and makes a case for raising the level of protection they receive. Highlights: The long‐tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis), the most heavily traded primate species in the world, is now Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.This assessment is based on (1) declining native habitats across Southeast Asia; (2) overutilization for scientific, commercial, and recreational purposes; (3) inadequate regulatory mechanisms; and (4) culling due to human–macaque conflicts.Without immediate mitigation the IUCN projects a ≥ 50% decline in population size over the coming three generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several analyses are conducted for the characterization of the interaction patterns existing between humans and long-tailed macaques (Maraca fascicular is) in Singapore. Physical interactions and feeding by humans are shown to be extremely uncommon in Singapore, as compared to various other countries.

A multidisciplinary panel of experts in March 2003 developed a risk assessment model to describe the likelihood of cross-species transmission of simian foamy virus (SFV) from macaques to visitors at a monkey temple in Bali, Indonesia. The model does predict that the risk of being infected with SFV among visitors to a monkey temple is not negligible, and it can be conceived as the first step in a process whereby non-human primate (NHP)-human cross-species disease transmission can be examined.

A study investigates serological evidence of exposure to measles virus in two free-ranging populations of macaques at the Bukit Timah (BTNR) and Central Catchment Nature (CCNR) reserves in Singapore and the Swoyambhu Temple in Katmandu, Nepal. The contrasting seroprevalences of the two sites are analyzed using risk analysis, demonstrating how the process can be used to approach the phenomenon of cross-species pathogen transmission.

The genetic characteristics of a rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) population of Nepal is investigated where twenty-one rhesus macaques at the Swoyambhu Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, were compared with over 300 Indian- and Chinese-origin rhesus macaques. The sequence analyses to two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) loci, from the HVS I and 12S rRNA regions, showed that the Nepali animals were more similar to Indian-origin than to Chinese-origin animals.

In Sulawesi, Primate-pet ownership provides a context for the cross-species transmission of pathogens. Data suggested that infection with enteric parasites is common in pet macaques on Sulawesi, but relatively few of these infections are caused by pathogenic organisms.

The global increase in urbanization is leading to heavier interface between humans and wildlife. Within these anthropogenic landscapes, little is known about ranging patterns, particularly with regard to urban primates. Here we present the results of the first long-term deployment of multiple GPS collars on two species of macaques to investigate the impacts of urbanization on urban primate ranging patterns in Singapore and Gibraltar. Collars data acquisition were excellent with respect to the amount, quality, and accuracy of data collected; however, remote connectivity and drop-off functionality was poor across all deployments. Analyses highlighted high variability in ranging patterns between individuals within each species that aligned with access to human food resources and patterns of tourism. Individuals from troops with less access to human food had much larger home, core, and day ranges relative to those with regular provisioning or raiding opportunities. Almost no temporal range overlap was observed between any focal individuals at either site and spatial overlap was low for all but two troops at each site. We found no relationship between anthropogenic schedules and changes in ranging patterns. Significant seasonal variation existed for daily path length and day range size for both the Singapore long-tailed and the Gibraltar Barbary macaques, with long-tailed macaques increasing their range during the equatorial monsoon season and Barbary macaques increasing their range during drier, summer months. This study highlights how the behavioral plasticity found within the genus Macaca is reflected in ranging pattern variability within urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contact between humans and nonhuman primates (NHPs) frequently occurs at monkey temples (religious sites that have become associated with free-ranging populations of NHPs) in Asia, creating the potential for NHP–human disease transmission. In March 2003 a multidisciplinary panel of experts participated in a workshop designed to model the risk of NHP–human pathogen transmission. The panel developed a risk assessment model to describe the likelihood of cross-species transmission of simian foamy virus (SFV) from temple macaques (Macaca fascicularis) to visitors at monkey temples. SFV is an enzootic simian retrovirus that has been shown to be transmitted from NHPs to humans. In operationalizing the model field data, laboratory data and expert opinions were used to estimate the likelihood of SFV transmission within this context. This model sets the stage for a discussion about modeling as a risk assessment tool and the kinds of data that are required to accurately predict transmission. Am. J. Primatol. 68:934–948, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]