Photo courtesy of Driven2Travel
It was April 2012 and we were touring in Kanchanaburi Province in West Central Thailand with a tour guide (Tong Tong). We stopped for a rest at the side of a local road just off highway 323. We had some bananas, rambutans and papaya in the van which we had acquired at market earlier.
Photo courtesy of Driven2Travel
Within seconds of stepping out of the vehicle we noticed a couple of shy looking long-tailed macaques which are very common in this area eyeing us warily from the greenery fringing the dusty lay-by. We proffered some banana chunks and the bigger more aggressive males immediately took the bait, running over and snatching from our hands then retreating a few yards to eat.
Photo courtesy of Driven2Travel
The young cling to their mothers who keep a safe distance from the dominant males. It took quite some effort to ensure this female and her offspring got their share. They definitely prefer papaya.