讀後心得

Recently, the Nantou Songbailing Shoutian Temple has been troubled by a group of macaques that specifically steal fruits offered by worshippers and even climb around the temple to enjoy them. With the warming climate and the arrival of the mating season, more macaques are coming down the mountains in search of food. The temple authorities feel helpless about this situation and remind the public to maintain a distance when encountering macaques, avoiding eye contact and provocation. The Agricultural Department also pointed out that the macaques can be irritable, suggesting that people handle the situation with caution to ensure their safety.

There has been a theft incident of offerings at Songbailing in Nantou, where macaques have recently become unwelcome guests, specifically stealing fruits offered by worshippers and then climbing onto beams to enjoy them, which has caused trouble for the temple. The Agriculture Department stated that due to the warming climate, it is currently the mating season for macaques, leading many to descend from the mountains in search of food. When encountering macaques, a safe distance should be maintained to avoid eye contact or provocation.

A member of the public stated, "The monkeys have come inside." Inside the temple, a large macaque stood on the offering table, chewing on fruit, its gaze fixed on a target, seemingly wandering casually around the temple. This macaque displayed exceptional jumping skills, quickly grabbing an orange and leaping from the oil box to the beam, leisurely enjoying this "fruit feast" as if it were a buffet. Another member of the public added, "It's actually quite interesting; it's okay, I've let it go." However, another person expressed, "Although it’s interesting, if it attacks people, that would be a problem."

People joked that since it all goes into the stomach anyway, but the peels left by the monkeys lingered on the beams. The Tian Gong of Songbailing has become a "disaster victim" of the macaques, as merely advising or prohibiting them has proven ineffective. Temple staff expressed their helplessness, stating that when worshippers inquire about missing offerings, they can only repeatedly explain or check the surveillance cameras to clarify.

Temple staff mentioned that this macaque would jump from the central pillar to the dragon pillar, then jump onto the offering table to grab fruits, like bananas and plums, most of which have been stolen by it. The chairman stated that macaques are spiritual animals, becoming increasingly intelligent, and their numbers are rising. To address these macaque theft incidents, temple staff have no choice but to focus on monitoring the offerings.

The Deputy Director of the Agriculture Department of Nantou County Government reminded that as the weather warms, macaques will descend from the mountains in search of food and display mating behaviors, which may make them more agitated. When encountering macaques, it is advisable to avoid eye contact and provocation and maintain distance. In facing these uncontrollable wild animals, the public can only consider themselves unfortunate and feel helpless about the stolen offerings.