22-Jan-24 15:00

Dr Sharmini Julita Paramasivam, Veterinarian, Associate Professor, University Of Surrey, and Founder & Project Lead; The Animal Neighbours Project

Monkeys got your garbage bins? It's not an uncommon complaint among Malaysians that monkeys, more often than not long-tailed macaques, are pests in their neighbourhoods, rummaging through bins and causing a big stink in their wake. But as natural spaces dwindle due to deforestation, and expanding human activities encroach on wildlife habitats, conflicts and interactions between humans and wildlife have become almost unavoidable. That's where The Animal Neighbours Project comes in, with their community-based approach to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in urban areas through a combination of research and education. We catch up with veterinarian Dr Sharmini Julita Paramasivam, who is also an Associate Professor at the University of Surrey, and the Founder & Project Lead of The Animal Neighbours Project, to find out how they are teaching the wildest creatures of them all - humans - to better coexist with other wildlife in Malaysia.