Hong Kong authorities used evidence from AI surveillance cameras installed last year to prosecute six people for monkey feeding, a government conservation officer has said.
Security cameras installed at the car park at Kam Shan Country Park, known as “Monkey Hill” for being one of the main areas where wild monkeys live, can detect interactions between humans and the animals, Senior Fauna Conservation Officer Shek Chung-tong said on RTHK on Thursday.
The AI surveillance system sends notifications to officers at the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) when it detects that humans and wild monkeys are in close proximity.
Shek explained that wild monkeys normally would not approach humans unless someone was feeding them.
Depending on their location, officers can arrive at the site in as little as five minutes after receiving a notification.
Since the installation last year, the AFCD has successfully prosecuted six people for monkey feeding thanks to the AI cameras, Shek said. Three other cases are still under investigation.
Since the maximum penalty for feeding wild animals was raised last August – along with the introduction of a HK$5,000 fixed penalty – the monkey feeding situation has “greatly improved,” he said.
“Overall, there has been a rather significant improvement in illegal monkey feeding over the years,” Shek said in Cantonese.
According to the AFCD’s website, there are around 2,000 wild monkeys in Hong Kong found in areas including the Kam Shan, Lion Rock, and Shing Mun Country Parks.
The AFCD said the wild monkey population had ‘increased dramatically’ over the years due to human feeding. Some monkeys have become “fearless” and would snatch plastic bags from visitors in search of food, the department’s website reads.
Shek said on Thursday that the AFCD is considering installing AI surveillance systems at another car park in Kam Shan Country Park later this year and expanding the functions to detect wild boar feeding.
He added that the department may also set up mobile monitoring systems at locations where feeding of feral pigeons is rampant.
