Future breeding of City Park macaques to be prevented
Published on 12 December 2024
Future breeding of City Park's Japanese macaque troop will be prevented following a decision from the City of Launceston today.
As Japanese macaques are no longer deemed suitable for live importation under the Federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, it's not possible for the Council to introduce new macaques to City Park.
In addition, continued breeding would cause the enclosure to become overcrowded and negatively affect the health and wellbeing of the monkeys.
For these important reasons, the Council today determined that the species management plan for the troop should be aimed at preventing future reproduction.
The decision means the Japanese macaques will continue to be in City Park for approximately 20 to 25 more years.
Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood said Council officers would now engage veterinarians to oversee the desexing of the male members of the troop - a process that would be undertaken over an estimated two-year period.
"We know the Launceston community cares very much about the welfare of the City Park monkeys, and that's a sentiment that's also very much shared by both Councillors and staff here at the City of Launceston," Mayor Garwood said.
"While we love having the monkeys here in Launceston, the inability to introduce new genetic stock and the serious impacts on their health and wellbeing means we need to begin to consider the future of the troop to ensure we're doing what's best for them over the longer term.
"There's no doubt today's decision was a difficult one, but it prioritises the welfare of the monkey troop so we can keep them as healthy and happy as possible, for as long as possible.
"It's important to remember the City Park monkeys will still be with us for decades to come and we'll continue to care for them to the highest possible standards.
"I'll now be writing to the Mayor of our Sister City Ikeda, which gifted the macaques to us back in 1981, to formally advise of the Council's decision and explain the reasoning behind it."