The National Parks Board started the sterilization program in June after residents complained about monkeys entering homes.

The board is working with authorities and the community to manage the monkey population.

This includes stopping people from feeding the monkeys and teaching residents what to do when they see monkeys.

The board is also stopping people from feeding wildlife illegally.

There were about 2,500 reports of monkey problems each year from 2017 to 2022, which is 35% more than 10 years ago.

Sterilization does not hurt the monkey groups like culling does.

Most monkeys are sterilized and returned to their homes, so their groups stay together.

The National Parks Board set up a special area to catch monkeys for sterilization.

The area has cages to hold the monkeys while they are being sterilized.

Experts say that sterilization is not the only thing that matters for managing monkey populations.

It is also important to have enough space for the monkeys and to protect them from people.

Dr. Ang says that residents near monkey homes need to be taught what to do when they see monkeys.

It would be good to have meetings with residents to explain how to deal with monkeys.

The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society says that monkey groups can break apart when they are sterilized.

This is a big problem in cities like Singapore.

When monkeys leave their groups, they can get lost in the city.

Residents near Maju Forest see monkeys often, but not all of them have had problems.

Some residents take precautions like closing their windows.

One resident said that monkeys come into her patio and take food, so she doesn't leave food outside anymore.

Another resident said that monkeys went into a supermarket one time.

A resident named Mr. Hunt sees monkeys in the car park or garden.

Residents are worried about where the monkeys will go when the area is redeveloped.

Punggol has had many problems with monkeys, with them going through trash and entering shops.

The National Parks Board started sterilizing monkeys in Punggol in 2023.

About 50 monkeys were caught and sterilized in 2024.

The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society says that sterilization is a good way to manage the monkey population.

If we manage the monkey population now, we can reduce conflicts between humans and monkeys in the future.

New residents will move into the area, and the monkeys will be displaced.

There are about 1,900 long-tailed macaques in Singapore, according to the last census.

In the wild, monkeys can live between 15 and 30 years and have 8-12 babies.

The National Parks Board has not released data on the impact of sterilization on the monkey population.

But Hong Kong has used sterilization for years and it has been effective.

One study found that the number of female monkeys having babies decreased from 59% to 31% in three years.

Researchers think that Hong Kong needs to sterilize about 80-100 monkeys per year to keep the population stable.