Fri, Jan 08, 2016 page5

• Caretaker rises to ‘king’

  HIERARCHY: The macaques at Taipei Zoo have been led for 31 years by the same carer, who helps maintain a peaceful environment and supports their wellbeing

  • By Hsieh Chia-chun and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
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  Chen Chin-ming (陳進明) has worked at Taipei Zoo for 31 years, beginning as a rookie caretaker and advancing to the unquestioned “king of macaques.”

  Starting his job at the then- named Yuanshan Zoo in 1984 at 18 years old, Chen said he started to learn how to care for the zoo’s various animals, including Asiatic elephants, tigers, panthers and others.

  In 1986 the zoo was relocated to Muzha in Wenshan District (文山). Chen was appointed caretaker of the Taiwanese animals section, with his first responsibility being the Taiwanese rock macaques.

  

  Chen Chin-ming, the undisputed “king of macaques” at Taipei Zoo, feeds a macaque at the zoo in an undated photograph.

  Photo provided by Taipei Zoo

  Chen said he has seen more than seven or eight alphas in the macaque pack during his career and together they manage the macaque troop.

  Macaque packs have a strong sense of hierarchy and Chen as the feeder holds some authority.

  Chen said if the pack chose an alpha that was too rowdy, he would put the monkey in isolation so the pack could choose another leader, helping the zoo maintain a peaceful exhibit.

  Of all the alphas that had led the pack, Chen said the alpha female named “Gu Gu” (咕咕) made the biggest impression on him because, though she had been raised by humans, she managed to hold on to her position as an alpha female because of how relaxed she was with people.

  Chen said he is familiar with all the macaques, such as a young macaque found in the Taroko National Park that was not yet weaned off its mother’s milk and a one-eyed macaque that was paralyzed.

  The young macaque is now of age to reproduce, while the one-eyed macaque, whose food Chen ground into to paste to help it take in nutrients, had passed away.

  Chen said that due to the hierarchical system of the pack, the zoo’s methods of providing large amounts of food for the entire pack usually meant that the alpha ate the most, with those next in line picking up leftovers and the ones at the bottom getting scraps or sometimes nothing.

  Chen said he feeds the macaques on an individual basis to prevent the disadvantaged macaques from not receiving enough food.

  However, Chen said he is still trying to find a way for the heavier monkeys to lose some weight, adding that the difficulty lay in the fact that the macaques are social animals and in times of danger they cut back on overall food consumption, making malnourished macaques more vulnerable.
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