Park Rangers’ Behaviors and Their Effects on Tourists and Tibetan Macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Mt. Huangshan, China

A study at Mount Huangshan found that park rangers' behaviors, including provisioning and managing Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana), did not significantly reduce macaque aggression or self-directed behaviors. Despite alternating management by two ranger teams, interventions in tourist-macaque interactions were minimal, with tourists often continuing undesirable behaviors even when discouraged. Rangers typically managed the monkeys alone, establishing dominance to control them. The research suggests that more effective management could involve prohibiting feeding, increasing ranger movement around viewing platforms, and limiting tourist numbers per session.

Usui, R., Sheeran, L., Li, J.-h., Sun, L., Wang, X., Pritchard, A., DuVall-Lash, A., & Wagner, R. (2014). Park Rangers’ Behaviors and Their Effects on Tourists and Tibetan Macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Mt. Huangshan, China. Animals, 4(3), 546–561. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani4030546