Incidents of Nuisance Posed by Monkeys

Ms Mary Liew asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether there has been an increase in the number of complaints received over the nuisance posed by monkeys entering homes and, if so, what is causing the increase; (b) what immediate measures can AVA take to deal with incidents of monkey nuisance other than educating people not to feed monkeys; and (c) what long-term measures will be put in place to curb the growth of the monkey population.

Between January and April 2013, AVA received 37 complaints of monkeys entering homes. AVA does not have comparative data in previous years.

The complaints were filed mostly by residents living near the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve which are the natural habitats of the monkeys. Some monkeys are drawn out of the forests and, being innately curious, they may visit people's homes, especially where food sources are easily accessible to them.

AVA works with NEA to use garbage bins that are lockable to prevent monkeys from rummaging through garbage in search of food. Residents living near the fringes of the Nature Reserves are also given advisories on what they should do if they encounter monkeys.

When monkey nuisance cases become severe, AVA's additional measures may include trapping and euthanising the trapped monkeys. Residents can loan traps from AVA and AVA officers will advise them on how to properly set up a trap within their compound.

The Government cannot deal with this problem alone. Residents and the public have to play their part by not feeding monkeys and keeping food out of sight of the monkeys. When monkeys do not have easy access to food, the incidence of monkeys entering homes will come down.