Monkey Q&A

Mon

Jul

Glynne Anderson

To tie in with the article on monkey house invaders, here is a monkey Q&A - all our readers’ questions about how to deal with break-in’s and attacks.

Question

We are plagued by monkeys in the Hillcrest area.
I got home the other day to find my house had been ransacked and my Boerbul puppy had been badly bitten. My kitchen was a mess with banana skins, half eaten fruit, bread and other groceries stolen from a closed cupboard!
What redress do I have and what measures can I take to protect myself and my dog from this happening again?

The experts tell me that the homeowner is to blame for these hit and run crimes, because they should have made their houses monkey proof in the first place by hiding fruit away from sight and keeping windows closed, or fitting window mesh to prevent entry.

The pillaging of fruit trees, bird feeders and vegetable gardens I am assured is their natural behaviour and we should ‘educate ourselves’ which seems like a pretty generous non answer to me.

Question

My neighbour, a gentleman in his eighties, has been bitten twice by monkeys while attempting to protect his vegetable garden which is his pride and joy. What can he do?

Firstly he must never confront a troop, especially if they have babies or young ones.
And secondly it is important never to turn his back on an scorned monkey which probably provoked his bites.
No matter what he would like to use … a hose pipe is an excellent weapon as monkeys hate being sprayed with water.
Personally I think your neighbour should start buying his veggies at the super market which hopefully is a safer bet … although one can’t be too sure nowadays!

Question

Why are people are so stupid and cruel to poor defenseless monkeys which are just trying to survive.
We have taken away their bush and forests and they have no where to go and nothing to eat anymore.
I saw a monkey the other day with it’s leg broken which broke my heart. I think my nasty neighbour may have shot him with a pellet gun.
I put food and water out to help them because it would be a horrible world if there were no monkeys left.

People can be very cruel and it is wrong of your neighbour, or any one else, to hurt any creature.
But, I am afraid feeding the monkeys is encouraging them to return to your property from where your neighbour can take aim.
But relax, monkeys are not certainly not endangered species - they will make sure they’re around for a very long time yet.

Question

I have 6 cats who spend their days lazing in the garden in spite of the troops of monkeys which always seem to be around. I’ve heard of dogs getting attacked and bitten but never cats. Is this true and why?

I must be honest I haven’t heard of cats attacked by monkeys either. The reason is possibly because monkeys aren’t a threat to cats, whereas dogs are fiercely territorial and combatant and love a good punch up.

Question

I’m sick of people moaning about monkeys and the damage they cause. What damage? - they might eat a few avocado’s to survive but surely humans can be more charitable and more humane, because these monkeys are also God’s creatures and deserve a life as well.
The more I know humans, the more I like monkeys.