Abstract
Previous studies have reported negative impacts of tourism on nonhuman primates and tourists and advocated the improvement of tourism management, yet what constitutes good quality management remains unclear. We explored whether rates of macaque aggression and self-directed behaviors (SDBs) differed under supervision of two park ranger teams at the Valley of the Wild Monkeys in Anhui Province, China. Two pairs of rangers managed a group of macaques on an alternating monthly basis using different methods. We hypothesized that lower macaque aggression and SDB rates would be observed if rangers enforced park rules; and that these behavioral rates would decrease from first to second week post-alternation of rangers as the monkeys adjusted to different management routines. Monkey, tourist, and ranger behaviors were collected through a combination of all-occurrences and focal animal sampling from 16 August-30 September 2012. Macaque aggression and SDB rates did not differ significantly under the management of the two teams. We compared first- and second-week rates of macaque aggression and SDBs independently in the presence and absence of tourists after the rangers alternated in August and September. SDB rates in the presence of tourists in one month and aggression rates in the presence and absence of tourists in the other month significantly decreased during the second week, perhaps reflective of the different management routines. Overall, park rangers rarely intervened in tourist-macaque interactions. Rangers’ low-wage job likely influenced their motivations at work.
