Lesser Adjutant co-existing with Long-tailed Macaques

YC Wee
on 19th January 2012

“The Lesser Adjutants (Leptoptilos javanicus) are big, standing at about 1.2m tall but gentle birds as seen at Parit Jawa in Muar, Malaysia. They seem to co-exist with long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) that roam along the riverbanks hunting for crustaceans. A group of 5 to 6 macaques were spotted on 20th December 2011, foraging along the river bank for 15 minutes before they retreated back to the mangrove forest. The Lesser Adjutant walked calmly past the macaque and both creatures did not even bat an eyelid.

“Most creatures are naturally intimidated by size but as seen in the second photo, the baby macaque showed no sign of fear when the huge bird walked by and continued feeding. Perhaps the presence of other family members helped to dispel any fear.”

Thong Chow Ngian
Singapore
28th December 2011

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the authors/contributors, and do not represent nor are they endorsed by the National University of Singapore (NUS), the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore (LKCNHM, NUS) or any of NUS’s affiliates or subsidiaries. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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