A STUDY reveals a link between the infant mortality rate among wild southern pig-tailed macaques and their visits to oil palm plantations to scavenge for food.
According to the study published in Current Biology, frequent visits to oil palm plantations are leading to a sharp increase in mortality rates among infant southern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) in the wild.
“In addition to increased risk from predators and human encounters, exposure to harmful agricultural chemicals in this environment may negatively affect infant development.
“In wild populations, infant survival is crucial for determining individual fitness and for maintaining viable populations in changing environments. For primates, agricultural areas adjacent to tropical forest habitat can be a mixed blessing.
