The preservation of the reserve has seen the population of the monkeys increase exponentially in recent years and entry fees from visiting the Monkey Forest assist in this ongoing conservation.
The monkeys are fed each day by the park rangers, however visitors are able to purchase bananas to feed the monkeys if they wish.
It is no recommended to pat the monkeys, because they are wild animals and may act out aggressively. However you can get up close to most monkeys and sit next to them to take a photo. Most monkeys are unfazed by people, so wont react to you most of the time.