North Coast residents were outraged by the brutal killing of monkeys in Umdloti last week.
At least thirteen monkeys and a dog died in Umdloti after a troop of monkeys were poisoned on Saturday. According to the Monkey Help Line chairperson Steve Smit, they managed to catch a total of 22 of the affected monkeys. However, only nine survived.
“The troop consisted of about 40 monkeys. We know of four poisoned monkeys that we could not catch. Nine are on treatment and 14 of the troop was recently seen in the area and seem to be doing fine.”
He said most of the dead monkeys were females and currently there are about 10 babies orphaned. The youngest was still clinging to her mom when the mother fell from the tree, leaving the baby with a skull fracture.
The poisoning caused residents to rally together and by Saturday night an R10 000 reward was raised for anyone who could come up with information that will lead to the prosecution of the culprit. By Monday afternoon, the reward had grown to a substantial to R40 000.
“R20 000 came from Marshall Security and the other R20 000 was raised by Umdloti residents. We would like to thank everyone who came out to support and assisted in rescuing the monkeys,” said Smit.
Riverside Veterinary Clinic’s Dr Kerry Easson said the surviving monkeys were doing very well in their care and only two were still struggling.
“It is suspected the monkeys were killed with a poison known as ‘Two Step’ that is highly toxic, even to humans,” said Dr Easson.
On Monday, Coast to Coast Special & Private Investigations’ Sean Peirce announced that he had identified both a suspect and a witness to the crime.
“So far we have a witness and we are very confident about the evidence we currently have. However we still need to pull all the evidence that might be available before an arrest,” said Peirce.
The killing of monkeys has also been taking place in the Ballito area. Monkey Helpline’s Ballito rescue team’s Laura van Rooyen said they had found a number of dead monkeys recently.
“An adult male monkey was recently shot dead in Leonora Drive. Dead monkeys were also found in Tipperary Road in Sheffield Beach, palm Lakes and a dead female was also found in Leonora Drive.” said Van Rooyen.
“Ballito residents must accept that this is the monkey’s natural habitat and if monkeys and wildlife do not suit their lifestyle they should move to areas where there are no monkeys. Monkey Helpline and the Ballito rescue team will be dealing with perpetrators in future since huge sums are being offered that will lead to the arrest of guilty individuals. Pet detectives, security and camera surveillance will be used to protect monkeys and catch perpetrators. Under the Animals Protection Act on animal cruelty people can be fined R100 000 or three years of jail time,” said Van Rooyen.
Anyone with information can contact Monkey Helpline at 082 411 5444 or 082 659 4711.
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