These and other questions will be answered by the Palau animal census began in Ngermid, Koror.
The census is a joint project of the Bureau of Agriculture and Palau Conservation Society, with the support of the Koror State Sanitation and Animal Control Division, and the Palau Animal Welfare Society.Funding support for the census is being provided by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund of Conservational International.The main objective of the census is to locate all pet monkeys in Palau, but information will also be gathered about other animals. This information on the location and numbers of monkeys and other animals in Palau will help us better understand their impact on the environment, public health, our food supply, tourism, and the economy. The census is being conducted by two Palau Community College interns, Ngedikes Benedict, and Ngirbechat Arsenio, working under the supervision of Dr. Joel Miles at the BOA. These two young people have the responsibility to visit every house, business, and office in the entire country, to find the answers to the questions above.The census will be completed by the middle of May this year.Once the census has been completed, the same organizations will conduct a free sterilization project for all pet monkeys, to ensure that they are not capable of reproducing. It is common knowledge in Palau that monkeys have caused serious socio-economic and environmental damage to the island of Angaur, where they were introduced in the early 1900’s. Sterilizing pet monkeys outside Angaur will ensure that similar damage does not happen to the rest of Palau.The census is one of the first steps in a long-term effort of the National Invasive Species Committee which will eventually remove all wild monkeys from the island of Angaur. Removal of the monkeys will enable the economy and environment of the island to be restored.The members of the NISC are working with the government and people of Angaur State to accomplish this long term goal.The BOA requests cooperation from all residents of Palau: the one-page interview form will take less than five minutes to complete, and the information being gathered is of great importance to the economy and environment, as well as to the health of all the people of Palau.All pet owners rest assured: your pet animal will not be harmed or taken away as a result of the census.For additional information about the census, or about monkeys, Joel Miles at the Bureau of Agriculture, Malakal office, 680-488-2504.For information about animal health, call the Koror State Animal Shelter, 680-488-5645.
