Troublemaker, a male Sulawesi crested black macaque, was a subadult when Stefano took this picture on the craggy shoreline of Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve, Indonesia.
“Troublemaker was a very curious young monkey,” says Stefano. “He was always incredibly interested in any new object arriving in the forest, particularly if it belonged to a human – a backpack, for instance. He had a habit of causing commotion with visitors, which is how he earned his nickname.”
The macaques in Troublemaker’s group – known as Rambo 1 – were followed daily by researchers, so were already habituated to humans. Though Stefano was always careful to keep his distance and avoid interaction, Troublemaker would still approach him from time to time, allowing for this charismatic close-up against the waves.
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Rocky roads
Sulawesi crested black macaques usually prefer the shelter of the forest, but Tangkoko’s residents periodically emerge onto the shoreline to play, forage and paddle in the river. The reserve hosts comparatively healthy numbers, making it a popular destination with ecotourists, but the species is ailing elsewhere within its range on North Sulawesi. Habitat loss and poaching for bushmeat has seen numbers dwindle to 2,000, not helped by the monkey’s reputation as an agricultural pest.
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Troublemaker disappeared a few years after Stefano’s visit, and nobody knows what happened to this energetic young monkey. He could have joined another group or fallen victim to a poacher. “I feel for Troublemaker – I see him as a friend,” says Stefano. “This portrait not only drew attention to his species, but has been important to my career – I owe the guy!”
Stefano Unterthiner is a zoologist, author and acclaimed wildlife photographer. See more of his work at stefanounterthiner.com
top image: Sulawesi crested black macaque (Macaca nigra). Credit: Stefano Unterthiner
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