Editor
IN your edition 22 May you published a letter with the header ‘Monkeys are dangerous’. This is alarmist and untrue.
Your correspondent cited instances of vervet monkey attacks, i.e. biting, of children and adults. This letter is not intended to excuse this (unnatural) behaviour, rather to ameliorate same. I have interacted with passing troops for longer than I care to remember and not once did I discern a tendency for violence.
Pulling faces occasionally, but no threat of an attack, although amongst themselves this is not unknown (monkey politics).
Vervet monkeys are not dangerous by nature, presuming no threat being offered them. So why are some biting apparently indiscriminately? As we cannot apply psychological enquiry, we must attempt to understand by observation and deduction.
Several points must be made:
1. While they are intelligent, even cunning, there seems to be an absence of rationality and logic, as we understand it, and exhibit a limited range of vocalisation;
2. They are unquestionably emotional creatures and hence ‘feel’ intensely;
3. There is in place a definite hierarchy of control and exercise of authority by the alpha male and/or female. An angry or vicious attitude having been experienced at the hands of unthinking humans may have prejudiced their ‘normal’ pacific demeanours. Or could an alpha leader be killed accidentally by a car or deliberately by a human have left the troop dysfunctional and in disarray and without the necessary discipline?
These questions are not easily answered and the real question is how to react as humans to ‘normalise’ the situation.
My advice is to adopt a relaxed attitude towards them and devoid of fear (always bearing in mind that their foraging forays require vigilance regarding exposed fruit/food and open windows) to ‘convince’ them we, and our children, are not the enemy.
An effective start would be to set up feeding stations in places as remotely from the main dwelling as the area of the stand permits. As food is life and their primary foraging motivation, how will they not be ‘pacified’?
It is very likely that eventually they will associate the provision of food (as a supplement to their own foraging efforts to avoid creating a dependency) with more restrained behaviour towards humans.
In the absence of alternatives it’s worth a try.
To try to subdue them by violence will engender further aggression and fear and betray our own instinctive feelings of empathy and compassion, vital qualities to imbue our children with.
Corrie Verbaan
Glen Hills
