I refer to the letter “Wildlife too close for comfort in residential estate” (March 8). It seems that we have somehow forgotten that a piece of land was a forested area before it became a residential estate.

IIn other words, instead of what the author believes, that of “wildlife encroaching into our living space”, we might actually, in fact, be the ones encroaching into theirs.

Loss of natural habitat for many species is a regrettable, and some believe, an inevitable consequence of man’s insatiable need for living space. 

I recently encountered a member of the public feeding a troop of macaques at one of the nature parks. On the one hand, she was dishing out food to them, and on the other, she was carrying a stick to fend them off, as some of the macaques were showing displeasure when they did not get the food fast enough. 

I stopped to explain to her that what she took as kindness (feeding them) could actually backfire and lead to grave consequences for both humans and macaques. 

With repeated feeding over time, macaques will be conditioned to view humans as a source of sustenance, and anything less (no food) will be unacceptable to them, hence the unfortunate display of aggression when humans without food pass by.

It could also be the reason why they brazenly snatch or steal food not meant for them. After all, if humans had not introduced processed food to them, they would continue to only forage naturally. 

We now have a regrettable situation for both humans, who are being attacked without any obvious provocation, and the perpetrators themselves, who are feared, or worse, be at risk of being culled. 

We face the consequences of our own misplaced actions. Wildlife, in this case, the macaques, are merely reacting to our ignorant acts, and they react without malice.

Annette Kho (Dr)