To cull or not to cull pesky monkeys

The Straits Times Thursday, April 16

Summary

Singapore is at a crossroads in its managing of wild monkeys, and to cull or not cull these native creatures has emerged as a key question. Complaints on monkeys has dropped from 1860 to 750. This sharp decrease can be due to culling and other reasons like monkey-proof bins and campaigns that encourages people to stop feeding the monkeys.

Response

I think that we should not cull the monkeys. Although monkeys can be a nuisance and cause a lot of trouble, there are many other ways to reduce their population. As mentioned in the articles, monkey-proof bins is one of the best methods in my opinion. When the monkeys are unable to obtain food from the bins, they will usually move to another area. If all residential areas used these kind of bins, the monkeys will move to places like MacRitchie trails and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Thus, the monkeys' population can then be controlled.

Jiakai and Jinhua