Yakushima Series

Reflections on the first two months.

As I arrived in the forest for the first time, to get acquainted with my site and it's most notable inhabitants, I was greeted rather enthusiastically by a young female, yet to bare offspring though not for a lack of trying this, and as I hear it, last mating season. The greeting was irrefutably different from the general indifference displayed by the other macaques at my arrival, the result of a couple of years' dose of human habitatuation due to research activity on this - 'Umi' - group of Yakuzaru or Yaku-island monkeys. And because of this particular female's whole-hearted eagerness to fully integrate me into the group through, indeed, her sexually oriented solicitations, I am positive that a long-lasting and rather beautiful - beneath the surface shock of it all - relationship has been formed. My name is MacIntosh. Her name is Rodeo. And this is our story, and that of all the cast of characters comprising Umi group.

A note about shika.

I have previously mentioned that the monkeys are the 'most notable' of the forests inhabitants. From an ecological perspective, however, it would be inacurate to use such terms, as all inhabitants are fully integrated into the ecosystem which has evolved around, and within them. The exception perhaps being the invasive species which have landed at various points in time on the island as a result of human activity. For the zoologist, these include the tanuki, or racoon dog, a species of gecko which now is thought to have forced the native species out of areas of human habitation, and in some instances dogs and cats loosed by humans to wreak havoc and instill fear in the local faunas. Still, it is hard for people, dare I say even researchers, not to be drawn to the charismatic megafauna of any habitat, which for our purposes include the aforementioned monkeys and, perhaps equally, the Yakushika or Yaku-island deer.

At first, and perhaps even second glance, the majestic stag is an inspirational sight indeed. Coupled with the natural beauty of the forest itself, inspirational enough to have given rise to Miyazaki's forest spirit in the powerfully prophetic anime 'Mononoke Hime' or 'Princess Mononoke' as it is known or not known to the English speaking world. In the Seibu-rindo or Western-coastal road area of Yakushima, designated as a specially protected area by the Kagoshima prefectural government, it's mountain slopes designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, the deer are perhaps more readily visible than the monkeys, though only marginally so. Restrictions on hunting have led to increased deer numbers and tourism, the island's economical lifeline, has led to their pseudo-habituation to humans along the road. The latter has also led to their habituation to the car, a beast capable of greater devastation and harm than the deer can apparently comprehend. Apparently, and fortunately, road kill reached a peak in the late 90's, though there still exists many a deer overly lackadaisical in the presence of oncoming traffic. As Agetsuma-san recently proclaimed: "monkeys react appropriately to approaching cars, deer do not act appropriately at all."