The bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata) is a monkey native only to Southern India. These monkeys live in groups containing both females and males. Females stay with the group they are born into, while males leave their birth group to join others. Bonnet macaques live in many places: forests (evergreen to dry deciduous), villages, temples, and even cities. Because they eat a lot of fruit, they play a key role in spreading natural seeds.

However, these so-called ‘common’ monkeys are now in trouble. The bonnet macaque is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List, meaning they face a high risk of extinction in the wild. The populations of several macaque groups have declined by more than half in the last 30 years. Even their ability to live near people in temples, tourist spots, villages, farms, and cities, have not saved them. Major threats include losing their natural habitats and food and refuge sources like roadside fig trees and green spaces, as well as conflict with people.

Despite these serious challenges, there are places where bonnet macaques and humans live alongside each other, offering hope for the monkey’s future. For example, on the outskirts of Mysore, in Mandakalli village, macaques and humans share the space in a way that hints at coexistence. The macaques wander the village, searching for food in garbage, leftovers, or taking offerings from residents. Nearby coconut and areca nut plantations and vegetation patches give them places to eat and rest. Villagers rarely harm the monkeys. Some even give them respectful burials when they die. This village shows that long-term coexistence between humans and bonnet macaques is possible.

Shaurabh Anand is a faculty member at the School of Development, Azim Premji University. His research examines various forms of human-wildlife interaction and their implications for both human communities and wildlife conservation.

Suraj Nagesh is an independent primatologist based at Mysore.