Monkey business is everyone’s business

A Ballito resident was left shaken and appalled when he allegedly witnessed a neighbour shoot a vervet monkey, in his yard.

Lee Coetzee, who lives on Zen Drive, claims he saw the man hide behind a door, draw an air rifle and fire three times at the monkey.

“The monkey did not die and was left to be torn to shred by dogs. I am utterly traumatised and this is not the first time I have seen this.”

Coetzee said he could hear the monkey’s dying screams from a block away.

“How could anyone with a heart, do this? It is beyond cruel and should be criminally dealt with.”

He acknowledged some may find vervet monkeys a nuisance, but insisted they are not aggressive and can be treated humanely.

“I have dogs, and the monkeys come and eat with them. I also have parrots, and they have never terrorised my birds. They have never tried to come inside my house.”

The Courier also received a call from a concerned resident, who claimed security personnel at a local estate had caged a vervet monkey for two days, before letting the distraught animal out.

“No matter what an animal does, or how much it annoys you, it is still living and breathing and deserves respect,” said the angry woman.

The Monkey Helpline’s Carol Booth said monkeys are largely misunderstood by humans and are not dangerous to adults or children.

“The only thing they could potentially be, is a nuisance to some, but they will not harm you unless you seriously provoke them. They will also attack if they are defending another monkey. They are not rabies carriers, as is widely believed.”

Booth said monkeys are wild creatures that see humans as predators.

“They will never intentionally do something bad or harmful, because that is not their nature. People must stop seeing them as evil cretins and realise how joyous it is to be able to watch monkeys as closely as we can.”

Booth shared these essential DON’Ts in dealing with monkeys:

Do not tease or mimic a monkey.

“If you stand there with your eyes big, baring your teeth, hissing at them they are going to feel threatened.”

Do not feed a monkey by hand.

“Do it once and the monkey will think it is okay to grab food from a hand. If a child walks into the yard with food, the monkey will then swoop down and grab it, which would be unpleasant for the child.”

If you are faced with possible attack, or you are alone with a monkey, do not turn and run.

“In nature, when two monkeys fight, one must turn and run away. The other sees this as a signal to attack. Do not scream, because this could trigger the monkey, or a bigger monkey will see it as a call to defend its troop. You are not fast enough to outrun a monkey, so don’t try to. Rather stay calm and back away very slowly, out of the nearest door. If you are outside, give the monkey a wide berth so it does not feel threatened.”

Never touch a monkey.

“They see you as a predator and do not understand that you may want to pet them.”

Here are a few common, easy tips from Monkey Helpline to deal with monkeys in your yard.

The easiest way to chase a troop is with a jet spray of water, from a hosepipe.

Walk toward them and wave around a dishcloth or towel. They may threaten you or advance, but stand your ground and they should leave.

Monkeys are generally more afraid of men than women, so try to send a male outside first.

Buy a few rubber snakes and throw them around the yard – monkeys are not fond of snakes.

Cover your bins securely to discourage monkeys from digging through them and messing up your yard.

Use bird netting or something similar to protect your veggies.

Keep fruit, veggies and bread out of view and away from windows.

If you are having problems with monkeys, visit www.monkeyhelpline.co.za or call 082 659 4711 or 082 411 5444.