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Immature Rhesus Macaques Interacted Most Intensely With People on Son Tra

Rhesus macaque in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Conservation · Human–wildlife conflict

A field study on Son Tra Peninsula in Da Nang, Vietnam, found marked differences in how rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) interacted with people according to troop, age and visitor behaviour. Researchers observed nine troops at nine sites with frequent human–macaque contact during 120 field days from April 2024 to June 2025, recording interaction type, food, distance, age and sex class, time and visitor nationality.

Most interactions occurred at distances of about 2–3 metres, although approaches of 0.5–1 metre were frequently recorded during direct food provisioning. Interaction activity peaked between 09:00–11:00 and 15:00–17:00. Among the nine troops, Troops 8, 3 and 1 had the highest interaction intensities. Troop 8 showed the clearest habituation, while Troop 3 also repeatedly engaged in high-intensity contact near tourist areas.

Immature macaques interacted most intensely with people

Immature macaques interacted with people more frequently and more intensely than adults, while infants showed the least interaction. Domestic visitors provisioned macaques far more often than international visitors and mainly supplied processed human foods; international visitors were more often recorded observing or photographing the animals. Injured macaques also tended to approach people more closely, which the authors suggest may help them obtain easily accessible food despite physical limitations.

Two troops were especially habituated to people

The researchers identify Troops 3 and 8 as particularly habituated groups and recommend stricter enforcement of no-feeding rules at tourist sites, visitor communication tailored to different interaction patterns, and continued monitoring of the most habituated troops. They also note that close approaches create opportunities for physical injury and pathogen transmission between macaques and people.

Sources and image credit

  1. Nguyen, V. T., Ha, T. L., Pham, B. T., Vu, T. M., Tran, H. V., & Nguyen, T. N. (2026). Human-macaque interactions on Son Tra Peninsula, Da Nang City: Management implications for sustainable coexistence. HNUE Journal of Science: Natural Sciences, 71(1), 99–111. https://doi.org/10.18173/2354-1059.2026-0009Primary research article published 20 March 2026. During 120 field days from April 2024 to June 2025, researchers observed nine rhesus macaque troops at nine Son Tra sites. Most interactions occurred at 2–3 m, immature macaques showed the highest interaction intensity, and domestic visitors provisioned macaques significantly more often than international visitors. Troops 8 and 3 were among the most highly habituated groups.

Image: shankar s. — rhesus macaque photographed in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam; Wikimedia Commons / Flickr; representative Vietnam image, not an animal from the Son Tra study · CC BY 2.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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