Guest banned from UNESCO heritage site for teasing monkeys

The Sichuan provincial government in early May decided to ban a Chinese tourist from visiting the Emei mountain scenic area (Emei) for three years, after this person was recorded pushing long-tailed macaques.

In the posted video, the monkey was sitting on the railing on the way to Nga Mi mountain and eating fruit, when suddenly a male tourist approached and pushed him with his hand. The impact caused the animal to stagger and almost fall while the man ran and laughed.

The management board said the place where the incident occurred was not in an area with dangerous cliffs. They also identified the tourist and this person admitted his mistake.

Many people, after watching the video, criticized the male tourist’s actions, disregarding the animal’s life because he intended to push it down the cliff. Opinions say that the penalty of being banned from this area for three years is “too light” and “not enough of a deterrent”.

Theo Xinhua News Agency, The monkey being pushed in the video is a Tibetan macaque, a nationally protected species in China. According to a lawyer in Sichuan province, if that push causes the animal to die, the tourist could be fined heavily and could even face criminal liability.

This is not the first time tourists have been fined for impacting wildlife while traveling. Previously, on May 5, male tourist Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38 years old, an American, threw a large rock at the seal while on vacation in Hawaii. Lytvynchuk is now charged with harassment and attempted harassment of Hawaiian monk seals.

If convicted, Lytvynchuk faces up to one year in prison for each charge. In addition, Lytvynchuk also faces a fine of up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act and $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Nga Mi Mountain Scenic Area is located on the top of the mountain of the same name, with many temples concentrated, making this place one of the sacred destinations of Buddhism. The most prominent highlight in this scenic area is the Leshan Giant Buddha, 71 m high, carved into the mountainside in the 8th century and overlooking the confluence of three rivers.

Emei Mountain is also famous for its diverse vegetation, from subtropical pine forests to alpine pine forests. Some trees here are more than 1,000 years old. In 1996, UNESCO named the destination a World Heritage Site.