MSGID: 1:317/3 649fabe9   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Rising monkey and pig populations pose human disease risk    
      
     Date:   
         June 30, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Queensland   
     Summary:   
         Exploding populations of wild pigs and macaque monkeys in Southeast   
         Asia are threatening native forests and disease outbreaks in   
         livestock and people, according to new research.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   Exploding populations of wild pigs and macaque monkeys in Southeast Asia   
   are threatening native forests and disease outbreaks in livestock and   
   people, according to research led by The University of Queensland.   
      
   Dr Matthew Luskin, from UQ's School of the Environment, and his team   
   collated and analysed species population data from across the region,   
   some of it collected with a network of cameras.   
      
   "Macaques and wild pigs are taking over Southeast Asia's disturbed   
   forests," Dr Luskin said.   
      
   "Humans are largely to blame for this by altering forests with logging   
   and establishing palm oil farms which provide food and ideal breeding   
   conditions for these animals.   
      
   "We saw that wild boar and macaque numbers were 400 per cent higher in   
   forests near the plantations than in untouched environments.   
      
   "These animals take full advantage of the farmland, raiding crops and   
   thriving on calorie-rich foods."  Setting and monitoring the camera traps   
   provided Dr Luskin with an up-close experience of the exploding numbers.   
      
   "I encountered huge troops of macaques in Thailand, Malaysia, and   
   Indonesia - - they were everywhere in the forest edges, following us   
   and interfering with our equipment," Dr Luskin said.   
      
   "At first it was frustrating but then was eerie as we became completely   
   surrounded."  Dr Luskin said there were significant human health risks   
   in the rising pig and macaque populations.   
      
   "The wildlife origins of the COVID-19 pandemic show that mammals in   
   human- modified ecosystems often host high pathogen loads and pose   
   serious zoonotic disease risks," he said.   
      
   "Both pigs and macaques are recognised as carriers of diseases that can   
   be transmitted to people and they're the most common species in a region   
   considered to be the global zoonotic disease hotspot."  Collaborator,   
   Professor Carlos Peres from the University of East Anglia (UK), said   
   abnormally high populations of wildlife species that are disease   
   reservoirs often occur in human-modified tropical forests.   
      
   "This study again shows that densely settled rural areas in Southeast   
   Asia may be a source of future human epidemics," he said.   
      
   University of East Anglia and Southern University of Science and   
   Technology (China) PhD candidate, Jonathan Moore, said the immediate   
   effects of the population explosions could be seen on native flora in   
   the affected regions.   
      
   "Both pigs and macaques trigger negative cascading impacts in these   
   pristine ecosystems," Mr Moore said.   
      
   "They kill the seeds and seedlings of native plants and eat bird and   
   reptile eggs.   
      
   "The Malaysian pigs alone were found to reduce rainforest tree   
   regeneration by 62 per cent."  The researchers say action is needed to   
   minimise population expansions of wild pigs and macaques.   
      
   "Efforts to manage the populations of these species have failed in the   
   past because of their rapid reproductive capacity and public outcry,"   
   Dr Luskin said.   
      
   "Nobody favours needless killing of wildlife but the negative social and   
   ecological impacts from hyperabundant pest species does demand ethical   
   and urgent management solutions."   
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Health_&_Medicine   
                   # STD # Chronic_Illness # Diseases_and_Conditions #   
                   Human_Biology   
             o Plants_&_Animals   
                   # Wild_Animals # Nature # Ecology_Research # Monkeys   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Livestock o Rhesus_Macaque o Pig o Guinea_pig o Wild_Cat o   
             Tiger o Howler_monkey o Primate   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Queensland. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Jonathan H. Moore, Luke Gibson, Zachary Amir, Wirong Chanthorn,   
      Abdul   
         Hamid Ahmad, Patrick A. Jansen, Calebe P. Mendes, Manabu Onuma,   
         Carlos A.   
      
         Peres, Matthew Scott Luskin. The rise of hyperabundant native   
         generalists threatens both humans and nature. Biological Reviews,   
         2023; DOI: 10.1111/ brv.12985   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230630123229.htm   
      
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