Regulation of human behavior

In Singapore, there is a hefty fine of $500 for feeding macaques. This is because feeding macaques greatly alters their behavior. When macaques learn to associate humans with food, human-macaque conflict inevitably arises. This section is dedicated to ways of controlling human behavior and discouraging feeding of macaques.

One of the most important concerns when using punishment incentives to control behavior is the belief that one is susceptible to it. For a punishment to be effective as a deterrent, the public needs to believe that there is a high chance of being punished should they commit the undesirable behavior. In other words, the punishment needs to be adequately enforced or the public needs to believe that it is adequately enforced. Simply increasing the punishment severity may not be enough if offenders still believe they can get away with the undesirable behavior.With feeding of macaques, this becomes a little difficult because there is a limitation to how much it can be enforced.

Another important concern with using punishment incentives is the chance that it promotes rebellious behavior. Those who honestly believe that feeding of macaques is a good thing will probably resist being controlled by laws and punishments. This could be one reason why macaque feeding still occurs frequently in Singapore despite general knowledge that it is a punishable offense. Perhaps it would be better if the laws against feeding macaques involved participatory creation by the community of park visitors and residents. When this is done, there will be internalizing of social norms, which will promote self-regulatory mechanisms.

Another way to involve the community is to train some community members as volunteers. These volunteers could be people who frequently visit parks or live near the parks and have an affinity with macaques. Instead of feeding the macaques, which I am sure some will feel inclined to do, perhaps these volunteers can provide visitors with some knowledge about macaques. At the same time, the volunteers can be on the lookout for those who would feed macaques and gently remind them not to do so. This is one way to involve those who feel an affinity for macaques or animals and at the same time discourage the feeding of macaques.