DURBAN - During the last quarter of every year, Monkey Helpline is called to rescue a number of female monkeys, either heavily pregnant or carrying a new baby. Most are attacked and bitten by dogs or have been struck by motor cars while crossing roads.
Monkey Helpline’s Carol Booth said pregnant females have significantly reduced mobility and the period between September and December is a particularly difficult one.
“This is the time when most of the pregnant vervets give birth,” she said.
Booth said they received numerous rescue call-outs concerning female vervets who, being heavily pregnant or carrying their newborn baby, are hit by cars or attacked by dogs.
Encumbered by their babies, they find it more difficult to escape into the relative safety of trees, on to walls or out of the garden altogether.
“Just a few seconds slower than usual, they become the victims of a dog attack, usually with fatal consequences for themselves and their unborn or newborn baby. The same happens to these female monkeys trying to cross roads,” Booth said.
Monkey Helpline is appealing to dog owners to be particularly alert to the presence of monkeys visiting their garden at this time of the year and to confine their dogs during the short time the monkeys are around.
She explained that monkeys follow pre-determined foraging routes and most people are aware of the possibility of monkeys passing through their property.
“Controlling your dogs in the presence of monkeys takes very little effort that ultimately translates into a huge benefit to the monkeys. Likewise, being alert to monkeys in the road or trying to cross the road and simply slowing down will give the pregnant females or those with newborns a bit more time to cross the road safely or to make the decision to wait until the car has passed,” Booth said.
This is also the time of year when the juvenile vervets born during the previous season, around 10 months to a year earlier, are also at risk of death or injury by dogs and cars.
“Following a mother whose attention is on her newborn baby or who, still heavily pregnant, is not so confident in crossing roads or gardens, the juvenile has to make its own decisions about when and where to run and when to wait.
“Even a moment’s haste or hesitation can be fatal, and many juvenile vervets are killed or seriously injured by cars or dogs during this period,” she said.
While most pregnant vervets are injured accidentally, a significant number are deliberately targeted by airgun owners because, moving slowly due to their situation, they become easy targets.
Booth said incidents of these vulnerable females being shot are not uncommon. and there is clear evidence that many shooters are deliberately targeted a mother monkey visibly carrying a baby.
Booth said contrary to statements made by the anti-monkey brigade of a monkey population explosion, there had in fact been an alarming decrease in the urban vervet population.
She said urban monkeys are regular victims of car strikes, dog attacks, high voltage electrocution, air gun and other shootings, razor wire injuries, deliberate poisoning, and traps or snares set to catch them for “bush meat” or “muti”.
“No amount of natural predation ever impacted on vervet populations as devastatingly as has deliberate and accidental human-related predation.
“At Monkey Helpline, our two full-time rescuers respond to over 1 000 rescue call-outs every year. Of these, almost 75% are dead on arrival, die en route to the vet, are euthanised, or die within the first few days after veterinary treatment,” Booth said.
“Communities need to consider that a female can only give birth in her fourth year. She gives birth to a single baby and twins are rare. Research indicates that only one out or every four babies will reach adulthood. Therefore, far from needing their numbers reduced, they urgently need every bit of help they can get to survive in this increasingly monkey-unfriendly world,” Booth said.
IOL