Lungelo Mkamba
Solutions with a difference were made at a Monkey Business Workshop in Tongaat yesterday.
If you are a woman and you have trouble with monkeys, dress up like a man because the animals were more afraid of men, was one suggestion.
Another was that all monkeys in eThekwini residential areas should be caught and relocated to “bushy” and forest areas where they could feed on planted indigenous trees.
The eThekwini municipality’s Natural Resources department is hosting several workshops to find solutions to the “monkey problem”.
Department manager Vuyiswa Thabethe told attendees that there was no law on monkeys.
But Tongaat resident Rampal Moonsamy stood up and said he had simply “had enough of monkeys”.
“The situation has become worse and we are tired,” he said.
Moonsamy called on the city to form a “monkey action plan”.
According to Thabethe, the city was putting together a draft management plan for the animals and “needed public debate”.
She had been inundated by e-mails and letters since the first workshop at the Botanic Gardens in July.
One letter from an Umkomaas resident had called for the “mass killing” of all monkeys.
“We are sick and tired of the city. We must kill the monkeys. I will continue shooting them,” one read.
Dhun Pillay disagreed about killing monkeys, but said they “must be moved back to their own environment”.
Bitten
Rajamah Moodley, 77, who survived an “attack”, was taking her washing down in her backyard when she was bitten on the leg.
Moodley had to receive five pints of blood in hospital.
Monkey helpline co-ordinator Steve Smit argued that people were more in danger of being bitten by dogs than monkeys.
“Why is there no meeting about the dogs that chase me every day during rescues?” he asked.
Monkeys wanted to share living with people, he added. “People are not educated on monkeys.”
According to Smit monkeys were shot with pellet guns and attacked by dogs.
“They do not steal. They see food lying around and assume people are done with eating.”
Smit advised people not to feed monkeys, or try to touch them, run or scream during a confrontation.
Others asked if the construction of the King Shaka International Airport had forced monkeys to move from the area to residential areas.
Nic Liebenberg, who has worked for 15 years at a nature reserve, warned that monkeys did not like their “own” areas anymore.
“They like and prefer human areas because there are lots of opportunities for them.”
He stressed that it would be hard to relocate a troop as there could be another troop occupying that area, which would lead to conflict.
He suggested that people should have dogs, electric fencing and women should dress up as men as monkeys were less afraid of them.
Thabethe said her department would work with Smit to do a “year of the vervets” initiative next year.
