Search

Within 15 years, the population of Macaca fascicularis has declined rapidly. In early 2022, the IUCN Red List classified them as “Endangered”, though they were considered a species of “Least Concern” in 2008. Land alteration, illegal hunting, and human-macaque conflict often halt long-tailed macaque conservation efforts. Through the Primatology course, anthropology students are taught the importance of macaque conservation and its complications. This preliminary study aims to reveal anthropology students’ knowledge regarding the long-tailed macaque’s status quo and its conservation efforts, pre- and post- their enrolment in the course. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, this study conducted in-depth interviews with 10 consenting informants—active undergraduate anthropology students. After the transcription process, the data was analyzed by dividing it into multiple subchapters and reviewed with existing literature. More than half of the informants’ knowledge about Macaca fascicularis and primates, in general, is quite satisfactory, though they are still unaware of their current conservation status. According to the informants, cultural and religious factors are closely related to long-tailed macaque conservation, shown in Balinese Hindu temples, Javanese wayang, and topeng monyet. The study concluded that primatology is important because it raises awareness about human’s closest relatives, their ecological significance, and their conservation measures. Adoption or adaptation of the ethnoprimatological framework in biology education as a means of sociocultural exploration and primate conservation is highly recommended. Further research on ethnoprimatology in Indonesia is much needed since Indonesia has many cultural values that might assure the people about contemporary conservation efforts

Simple Summary: This study examined the potential food inclination of crab-eating macaques, a species that frequently participates in animal behavior research, in a laboratory environment. This study aimed to understand the potential food inclination of crab-eating macaques to enhance positive reinforcement training and health optimization, which are important for behavioral assessments. We observed a strong inclination for plant-based foods like fruits and vegetables over animal-based proteins. Notably, nuts were highly favored. Additionally, our research revealed individual variation in inclination and a time-dependent increase in protein inclination. Our results emphasize the need for a diverse range of inclined foods in positive reinforcement training and health optimization, with consideration for individual variation. This study offers guidelines for ethical and effective training practices, ensuring the well-being of these monkeys in research settings. This understanding of their potential food inclination can improve the overall welfare of crab-eating macaques, enhance the success of behavioral assessments, and provide valuable insights for researchers in various fields. Positive reinforcement and training for health optimization are pivotal for successful studies with monkeys. Potential food inclination is important for studies on crab-eating macaques in laboratory environments, but evaluations remain scarce. We explored crab-eating macaques' potential food inclination to establish a reward system for future behavioral assessments. Twelve male and three female monkeys underwent a food inclination assessment in which they were offered four food categories—fruits, vegetables, proteins, and nuts. The monkeys exhibited a higher inclination for plant-based foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, over animal-based proteins like chicken and tuna (p < 0.0001), with a notable inclination for nuts (eaten/provided = 100%). Additionally, the consistency of potential food inclination after repeated offerings was investigated, revealing a time-dependent increase in inclination for protein items. Food consumption ratios correlated positively with caloric intake (r = 0.59, p = 0.02), implying that individuals with a regular high caloric intake and increased body weight are more likely to accept food during positive reinforcement training. Our findings suggest fruits, vegetables, protein-rich foods, and nuts can help with health optimization. However, animal-based protein-rich foods initially had a low preference, which may increase over time. Our study can provide guidelines for positive reinforcement training and health optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aeromonas hydrophila is a facultative anaerobic gram-negative bacterium regarded as an opportunistic pathogen in animals. A 17-year-old female crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis) died after experiencing anorexia and depression for several days. The carcass was severely emaciated, and the sternum was exposed under subcutaneous lesions in the thorax. Many abnormal pathological lesions were found, including tracheal inflammation, pulmonary inflammatory emphysema, yellowish discoloration of the liver, enlargement of the gall bladder, necrosis of the heart, congested bilateral kidneys, and enlargement of the adrenal glands. The stomach was empty, mucosal ulcerations were found, and the duodenum was congested. Giemsa staining revealed rod-shaped organisms in the whole blood smear and major organs, which were identified as A. hydrophila. The animal had experienced stress, and decreased immune system function possibly contributed to the infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report anecdotal evidence for stone-tool-assisted hunting by a non-human primate. Wild Burmese long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis aurea) in Laem Son National Park, Thailand, regularly consume crabs, processing them both with and without stone pounding tools. However, stone-tool-assisted capture of crab prey, prior to the processing for consumption, has yet to be reported. We observed a tool-using episode as part of the hunting process, and provide video evidence confirming Burmese long-tailed macaques as the first known non-human primate to hunt and subdue other animals with the aid of stone tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aeromonas hydrophila is a facultative anaerobic gram-negative bacterium regarded as an opportunistic pathogen in animals. A 17-year-old female crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis) died after experiencing anorexia and depression for several days. The carcass was severely emaciated, and the sternum was exposed under subcutaneous lesions in the thorax. Many abnormal pathological lesions were found, including tracheal inflammation, pulmonary inflammatory emphysema, yellowish discoloration of the liver, enlargement of the gall bladder, necrosis of the heart, congested bilateral kidneys, and enlargement of the adrenal glands. The stomach was empty, mucosal ulcerations were found, and the duodenum was congested. Giemsa staining revealed rod-shaped organisms in the whole blood smear and major organs, which were identified as A. hydrophila. The animal had experienced stress, and decreased immune system function possibly contributed to the infection.

Marburg virus (MARV) is a virus of high human consequence with a case fatality rate of 24-88%. The global health and national security risks posed by Marburg virus disease (MVD) underscore the compelling need for a prophylactic vaccine, but no candidate has yet reached regulatory approval. Here, we evaluate a replication-defective chimpanzee adenovirus type 3 (ChAd3)-vectored MARV Angola glycoprotein (GP)-expressing vaccine against lethal MARV challenge in macaques. The ChAd3 platform has previously been reported to protect against the MARV-related viruses, Ebola virus (EBOV) and Sudan virus (SUDV), and MARV itself in macaques, with immunogenicity demonstrated in macaques and humans. In this study, we present data showing 100% protection against MARV Angola challenge (versus 0% control survival) and associated production of GP-specific IgGs generated by the ChAd3-MARV vaccine following a single dose of 1 × 10 11 virus particles prepared in a new clinical formulation buffer designed to enhance product stability. These results are consistent with previously described data using the same vaccine in a different formulation and laboratory, demonstrating the reproducible and robust protective efficacy elicited by this promising vaccine for the prevention of MVD. Additionally, a qualified anti-GP MARV IgG ELISA was developed as a critical pre-requisite for clinical advancement and regulatory approval.