Sky bridges to help curb vervet monkey deaths in Durban

DURBAN woman, Shirley Winkler, is leading efforts to install monkey sky bridges in an effort to curb the deaths of the species.

“For a while now I have wondered why sky bridges were not put across busy roads and intersections where monkeys were getting knocked down,” said Winkler.

“I put word out there that I am looking for people to assist make rope bridges which for a monkey it just needs to be a single rope with a couple of knots, it does not need to be a ladder rope.”

Winkler has started a Facebook group and is working closely with rescue organisation Monkey Helpline and a Masters student who is going to be using the project as part of her research.

She said there has been great enthusiasm from people all over Durban to get involved and contribute in providing a safer environment for monkeys.

Recently, Berea Mail reported on a number of incidents of people fatally shooting vervet monkeys with pellet guns.

Winkler said as the space between residential areas and the monkey’s natural habitat grows narrower, there needs to be innovative ways of how humans and monkeys can co-exist in a peaceful and safe manner.

“We need to start thinking about planting food for monkeys. Firstly, they wouldn’t starve because we have taken their food and natural habitat away. Then with roads, we have made them cross the roads on the ground or on electrical wires,” said Winkler.

“There are too many incidents of monkeys being hurt, too many babies that are being orphaned. The pain that monkeys go through when they get electrocuted is also very bad.”

ALSO READ: 5-month-old monkey euthanised after being shot in Glenwood

Carol Booth, joint co-ordinator at Monkey Helpline said Morningside, uMhlanga, and Durban North are just some of the areas that have been identified as hotspots where monkeys are likely to get run over by cars or get electrocuted.

“This would not just reduce the number of monkeys being run over by cars because drivers who sometimes try to swerve away from monkeys are also at risk,” she said. Booth said they received reports of monkeys being electrocuted or run over every two days.

The idea of sky bridges has been successfully implemented in Kenya to save the endangered species of colobus monkeys.

“Vervet monkeys are very different to colobus monkeys in terms of they are more terrestrial and like being on the ground than on the trees, so it would be interesting to see how the research pans out but we are all excited,” said Booth.

The only thing standing in the way of the project kicking off are numerous permits and other administrative licences from the city.

“We want to take this and make it a forever thing,” said Winkler.

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