Since December last year, a rural area in Zhejiang Province, China, has been "invaded" by monkey troops from the mountains, stealing radishes and greens from the farmland. It is known that this phenomenon occurs every winter and has been happening for 20 years, with the monkeys boldly "invading" the fields without being chased away. Villagers only watch or film them, letting them eat their fill. Villagers say these monkeys are national protected animals. Although crops suffer losses, the government has specifically purchased "monkey insurance" to compensate the villagers for their losses, allowing peaceful coexistence between villagers and monkeys, and no conflict has occurred over the years.
Peaceful Coexistence Between Humans and Monkeys
According to Chinese media reports, Guanchuan Village in Wangcunkou Town of Suichang County, Lishui City, Zhejiang, has been "plundered" by monkey troops for the past 20 years. A villager said, "They are all wild monkeys from the mountains. These monkeys are very clever and organized. Before coming down the mountain, they first 'lie low', sending young monkeys to scout. (Although they) come down every winter to steal vegetables, we have insurance."
According to animal protection experts, these monkeys are rhesus macaques, which are listed as national second-class protected wild animals and also classified as vulnerable species. Guanchuan Village is surrounded by mountains and is very close to the Jiu Long Mountain National Nature Reserve in Zhejiang.
Do Not Actively Disturb Residents
Local villagers are mostly accustomed to monkeys stealing vegetables, but they do not drive them away. Villager Mao Shuiqing said, "There are many animals on the mountain, and there are quite a few wild boars as well. However, apart from these monkeys, other animals are rarely seen and mostly hide in the mountains."
Mao Shuiqing also pointed out, "When we were young, there were monkeys on the mountain. In recent years, monkey troops often come down the mountain to steal vegetables." She stated that these monkeys do not actively disturb the village or enter homes, and villagers do not disturb them either, saying, "I have never seen any conflict between humans and monkeys."
Mao Weiqiang, the Communist Party Secretary of Guanchuan Village, stated that this year the monkey troop is estimated to have over 60 members, with at least 43 captured on camera, while some are still hiding up the mountain. He pointed out that this year, preliminary statistics show villagers have suffered a loss of about 2000 to 3000 RMB (approximately 1226 to 1839 MYR).
In 2020, Lishui City implemented a "city-wide unification" policy to purchase responsibility insurance for wild animal incidents. Subsequently, every year, after crops are damaged by wild monkeys, villagers successfully receive compensation of about 1500 to 3000 RMB (approximately 919.5 to 1839 MYR).