Anthropocene monkeys eating junk food

In Thailand's Khao Yai National Park, a group of northern pig-tailed macaques, numbering around 60, have established a unique relationship with tourists. These "semi-wild" monkeys, centered around the visitor center, have learned to solicit food from visitors, a behavior that has evolved into a "seasonal feeding strategy."

While these macaques still forage for fruit in the forest during the summer months, they return to the park entrance during the less crowded winter season. This opportunistic approach allows them to benefit from human presence when natural food sources are scarce. Researchers suggest this adaptation is a proactive response to their environment, where the lines between wild and human-influenced spaces have blurred.

The article further examines the case of Barbary macaques in Gibraltar, who have become accustomed to consuming junk food like chocolate and hamburgers provided by tourists. Intriguingly, these monkeys have also been observed eating soil, particularly red clay known as "terra rossa," during peak tourist season. This behavior appears to be a response to their junk food diet, which is high in sugar and fat but lacks fiber.

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This is a folk remedy invented by monkeys. Clay can coat the stomach lining, absorb toxic compounds, and re-establish gut microbiota. It also supplements iron.

Scientists hypothesize that the soil consumption acts as a folk remedy, coating the stomach lining, absorbing toxins, and replenishing essential nutrients like iron. This behavior, passed down through generations, represents a "functional and cultural response to the Anthropocene landscape," as described by researchers. It demonstrates that animals are not merely passive victims of human impact but active agents who invent and teach new behaviors in response to changing conditions.

The author raises a critical question: when we speak of protecting ecosystems, what exactly are we preserving? Is it a pristine, untouched wilderness, or does it include the new traditions and adaptations animals develop through their interactions with humans? The article notes that these Khao Yai macaques are becoming more territorial, aggressively defending their area around the visitor center and reducing their range, a trend that seems to mirror human behavior. This raises a somber reflection on whether these "Anthropocene monkeys" are ultimately becoming more like us.

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This is a functional and cultural response to the Anthropocene landscape. The food brought by humans shakes the monkeys' gut microbiome, discomfort gives rise to new behaviors, and behaviors spread among peers to become tradition.