I WOULD like to respond to the monkey escalation letter on page 7 of last week’s Highway Mail.
We purchased our property in Waterfall during April 2004.
Seeing a monkey was sweet and unusual.
During 2005 we turned the property into a legally licensed and registered child day care/pre-school facility, Duckie Dell Day-care.
At any given time we have about 100 monkeys at a time taking over the playground and eating areas, restricting our outdoor play and outdoor eating.
This is an indication that the breeding is clearly out of control.
It is clear that there are different troops as they often engage in serious fights which is scary. I truly believe that it is a matter of time before we get attacked. The aggression levels is clearly escalating, obviously due to lack of food etc.
We have had to dispose of a massive fruit and vegetable garden that the children loved to maintain as the monkeys destroyed it all.
They often enter the premises looking for food and we have had a few incidents where confronted by monkeys in the kitchen, we felt that they were ready to attack.
Children should not have to be locked indoors because of the monkey population problem, it is sad I agree.
It is a big concern and I was wondering whom we would be able to contact about this problem.
I am sure in other areas of Durban monkeys have been relocated?
Duckie Dell Daycare and it’s children are asking for advice and help.
Wanda Horsfield
Waterfall
