Monkey business? Macaques play repairmen, strip lampposts on Old Upper Thomson Road猴子捣蛋？猕猴扮演修理工，拆毁旧汤申路上段的路灯杆。
Long-tailed macaques on Old Upper Thomson Road were seen removing lamppost parts, posing potential risks to motorists and prompting NParks to monitor the situation. Read more at straitstimes.com.
新闻视频
The macaques were spotted twisting cylindrical fittings and carrying some away for further “inspection”.
PHOTOS: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Published Sep 25, 2026, 12:55 PM
Updated Sep 25, 2026, 12:55 PM
A troop of long-tailed macaques on Old Upper Thomson Road has apparently decided to branch out from the mundane routine of swinging through trees.
Their latest venture: street light maintenance.
Qualifications: none.
Enthusiasm for taking things apart: considerable.
They were spotted on Sept 21 “overhauling” roadside lampposts along the narrow, winding, forested road, twisting off components, dropping those onto the road, and carrying some away for further “inspection”.
A reporter from Chinese news daily Lianhe Zaobao who was passing through the area said he first heard a crack, followed by the sound of an object breaking on the road.
Looking up, he saw a monkey perched above the fallen equipment.
Monkeys on two nearby lampposts were also at work, gripping and twisting cylindrical fittings until they came loose, then tossing them down.
Photos and videos showed one macaque crouching over a fitting, working it with both hands. Another stood on a lamp – the “supervisor”, apparently – while a companion clung to the pole.
One macaque later sat on the roadside yellow line, examining a black, round device believed to have been removed from a lamppost. Its casing was open, exposing the internal parts.
Witnesses said similar equipment appeared to have been removed from at least three or four lampposts. Some parts were left on the road or verge.
In reply to queries from The Straits Times, the National Parks Board (NParks) said it was aware of a video showing long-tailed macaques removing lamppost components and had previously received a report of a similar mischief nearby.
“Macaques are naturally curious and may explore unfamiliar objects in their environment,” said How Choon Beng, NParks’ group director of wildlife management.
The animals may have removed the components out of curiosity or during play, he said.
NParks described the incidents as isolated and said it would continue to monitor the situation.
The lights appeared to remain on in the footage despite the monkeys’ handiwork.
What the removed components do and whether their removal could affect the lights’ operation remained undetermined.
Long-tailed macaques live along forest fringes and move between forest patches in search of food and territory, NParks said.
Measures to manage encounters include tackling wildlife feeding, proper waste disposal, harvesting fruit trees, installing monkey-proof fittings, monkey guarding and relocating individual animals where appropriate.
Sterilisation is also being carefully studied and implemented where appropriate.
For anyone encountering these budding technicians, NParks’ advice is to remain calm and quiet, avoid sudden movements and eye contact, look away, and back off slowly.
Stay away until the macaques have left, and keep plastic bags out of sight because the animals associate them with food and may try to snatch them.
Members of the public can call the 24-hour Animal Response Centre at 1800-476-1600.
The monkeys, however, have yet to provide a number for their repair hotline.
Wildlife conservation
National Parks Board
人们发现猕猴们扭动着圆柱形配件，并将一些配件叼走进行进一步的“检查”。
图片来源：联合早报
发布于 2026 年 9 月 25 日下午 12:55
更新于2026年9月25日下午12:55
汤申老路上的一群长尾猕猴显然决定不再满足于在树间荡来荡去的单调生活。
他们最新的业务是：路灯维护。
资格要求：无。
对拆卸事物的热情：相当高。
9 月 21 日，有人发现他们沿着狭窄蜿蜒的林间道路“检修”路边的灯柱，拧下部件，将它们扔到路上，并将一些部件带走进行进一步的“检查”。
一位途经该地区的《联合早报》记者说，他先是听到一声脆响，然后听到路面上有物体破碎的声音。
他抬头一看，发现一只猴子栖息在倒塌的设备上方。
附近两根路灯杆上的猴子也在忙碌着，它们抓住并扭动圆柱形配件，直到它们松动，然后把它们扔下来。
照片和视频显示，一只猕猴蹲在灯具上，用双手操作着。另一只猕猴站在一盏灯上——显然是“监工”——而它的同伴则紧紧抓住灯杆。
后来，一只猕猴坐在路边的黄线上，仔细查看一个黑色的圆形装置，据信是从路灯杆上拆下来的。它的外壳是打开的，露出了内部零件。
目击者称，至少有三四根路灯杆上的类似设备被拆除，部分零件被遗弃在路面或路肩上。
针对《海峡时报》的询问，国家公园局（NParks）表示，他们已经注意到一段视频，视频显示长尾猕猴正在拆卸路灯杆部件，并且此前也收到过附近发生类似破坏行为的报告。
“猕猴天生好奇，可能会探索周围环境中不熟悉的物体，”国家公园局野生动物管理组主任何俊明说。
他说，这些动物可能是出于好奇或在玩耍时移除了这些部件。
国家公园局称这些事件是孤立事件，并表示将继续监测情况。
从录像来看，尽管猴子们动了手脚，灯似乎仍然亮着。
被移除的组件的作用以及移除这些组件是否会影响灯的运行，目前尚不清楚。
国家公园局表示，长尾猕猴生活在森林边缘，它们会在森林的不同区域之间移动，寻找食物和领地。
管理人猴冲突的措施包括：制止喂食野生动物、妥善处理垃圾、采摘果树、安装防猴装置、安排护卫以及在适当情况下迁移个别动物。
消毒措施也在认真研究之中，并将在适当情况下予以实施。
对于任何遇到这些初出茅庐的技术人员的人，国家公园局的建议是保持冷静和安静，避免突然的动作和眼神接触，移开视线，慢慢后退。
在猕猴离开之前不要靠近，并将塑料袋放在它们看不到的地方，因为猕猴会将塑料袋与食物联系起来，可能会试图抢夺它们。
公众可以拨打 24 小时动物救援中心电话 1800-476-1600。
然而，这些猴子至今仍未提供维修热线号码。
野生动物保护
国家公园管理局