KWAZULU-NATAL has been experiencing an increase in cases involving the poisoning of monkeys.
Eight monkeys were poisoned in Queensburgh, 14 in Hibberdene a few weeks ago and four monkeys in Hilton.
Unfortunately, all the monkeys died from being poisoned according to Crow.
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Monkeys are highly intelligent animals, but they are creatures of habit.
They often establish certain gardens as an preferable target for food and have made it a regular stop off on their route.
Therefore, Crow has advised that it is necessary to make your garden an undesirable location for the monkeys to deter them from your property.
Once you have established a routine that works in deterring the troop, it is advisable to be consistent with your methods until they eventually deem your property as undesirable.
Here are some tips:
– Deny them access to food. You would need to protect your vegetable garden, this can be done by securing it with a fence and cover roof, or by spraying them with water whenever they come into your property near your vegetable garden.
“A Howick resident told us how he converted a normal alarm sensor connected to a sprinkler into a water alarm, every time the monkeys came near his vegetable garden, it would trigger the sensor and turn the sprinklers on and wet the monkeys and they would then run away. After trying and getting wet every time, they eventually stopped trying – this took three months),” said CROW’s Chandre de Bruyn.
-Hang reflective items like old CDs from tree branches or at points where they access your garden. Monkeys don’t like the reflection and it can be a deterrent.
– Rubber snakes. These only work if you use a variety of different looking rubber snakes and move them to different locations in the garden each day. If they see the same snake in the same spot they will investigate and realise it is not a real threat.
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– Spraying them with water, use the same pressure you would use on a small child – a fire hose may be too powerful and could injure an animal – water guns work well. Monkeys do not like water.
– Keep your windows on the smallest gap to ensure they cannot climb through.
According to Crow, Vervet monkeys really are a remarkable species which has shown an incredible display of adaptability to the harsh environment that has surrounded them.
“I know it can be a lot of work to keep them at bay humanely, but as a smarter species we must use our knowledge rather than anger to ensure a harmonious coexistence with our wildlife,” said de Bruyn.
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