Letter: Such arrogance!

David Pagan of Ballito writes:

The arrogance is breathtaking. Ms Laura van Rooyen, of Monkey Helpline states ‘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….’

Does this lady realise Ballito is also the habitat of less cuddly wildlife e.g. elephants, hippos, snakes – if the black mamba population should get out of control, as has the monkey population in Ballito, we wouldn’t get the same stupid statement from her, I am sure.

Monkeys in Ballito are a pest and their population is escalating partly because of the lack of predators and largely through the misguided efforts of groups like Monkey Helpline.

Monkeys are wild animals and the checks and balances provided by nature should be allowed to operate without being interfered with by (well-meaning) people.

I see orphaned monkeys being taken to the vet for attention; they should be left and allowed to survive or die – that is one of the ways that an animal population is kept in control. I know of people who feed monkeys – again interfering with nature.

Culling would not be a bad idea to keep the numbers manageable.

I don’t approve of monkeys being poisoned and I hope that the guilty party is arrested and prosecuted.

But as a Ballito resident I have seen how alarmingly monkey numbers have increased in the 18 years I’ve lived here and how much money I’ve had to spend to ‘monkey-proof’ my house.

Let nature take its course.