The Taiwan macaque (Macaca cyclopis) is a species endemic to Taiwan. It is an omnivore, its diet consisting mainly of tender roots, fruit and insects. Wild macaques keep their distance from humans, however, long-term inappropriate feeding of macaques by visitors in the Tatajia area of Yushan National Park has led to macaques grabbing visitor property, attacking visitors, and begging for food. After the New Central Cross-Island Highway was damaged by Typhoon Morakot and the road cut off for while the macaques returned to their wild ways, however, as visitors have returned to the area, they have once again begun begging for food.

To bring inappropriate feeding to an end Yushan National Park HQ and the national park police corps have joined together to stop visitors feeding wild animals to carry out periodic public information work directed at travel operators and visitors to raise awareness of this problem. The park will also dispatch volunteers to discourage feeding. The national park police will also use high-tech tools to gather evidence of inappropriate feeding of wild animals and, when this situation, discovered a penalty will be issued to the offenders.

Translated by：Kevin Lax
Source：Yushan National Park Headquarters