Eavesdropping on monkeys to keep Singapore safe from emerging diseases

Acoustic data will help identify areas where people may catch diseases like malaria

- Angelica Ang

Over two dozen audio recording devices will soon be deployed across Singapore's green spaces to record calls of the long-tailed macaque, the most common monkey species here.

It is not wildlife biologists who are eavesdropping on the monkeys, though, but a research team from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.

They are on a mission to identify "hot spots" where an emerging disease caused by a parasite in these monkeys could potentially spread to humans.

Recording the calls of these social primates — which are the natural hosts of a parasite that causes malaria — will allow researchers to detect the animals' presence in an area without having to physically see them.

The collected data can then be compared against information on places with high human and mosquito activity.

Pilot studies are currently being conducted on Pulau Ubin and in Mandai's Night Safari, and the project will expand nationwide in September.

Malaria can be passed from monkeys to humans when a mosquito feeds on a parasite-infected macaque, and subsequently bites a person.

While such zoonotic transmissions of malaria are commonly documented in places like Malaysia, only a few cases have ever been recorded in Singapore.

According to the Ministry of Health's Health Hub page, malaria brings about symptoms such as high fever, headaches, muscle aches and fatigue.

Singapore was declared malaria-free in 1982, which means the country had no locally transmitted cases for at least three consecutive years before that.

Despite this, the Republic needs to constantly be vigilant against the spread of diseases, due to its status as a transport hub.

The team plans to roll out the devices — dubbed Audio Moths — at 25 locations nationwide, pending final approval from the National Parks Board.