Mating season may be behind monkeying around on Hong Kong MTR tracks: expert
HKU professor says July-December mating season drives young male macaques to disperse, raising likelihood of more sightings across city
Hong Kong could see more monkey encounters during the animals’ mating season, an expert has said, after one was spotted on MTR tracks for a second day in a row.
The MTR Corporation, the city’s rail operator, said staff found a monkey loitering near Tsuen Wan station at around 9am on Friday and informed police and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.
Services on the Tsuen Wan line continued, although train frequencies were slightly adjusted. Trains between Tai Wo Hau and Central ran every five minutes, while services between Tsuen Wan and Tai Wo Hau were briefly suspended.
Police and department officers later removed the monkey from the track area and services on the Tsuen Wan line gradually returned to normal at around 10am.
A photo released by the railway operator showed the monkey sitting on the tracks, facing dozens of passengers on the platform.
An SCMP reporter observed that announcements about an “animal on the track” were played almost continuously in MTR stations.
Juha Merilae, a chair professor in ecology and biodiversity at the University of Hong Kong, told the South China Morning Post that the monkeys’ mating season was between July and December, when males dispersed, adding that the city could see more monkeys in the near future.