Monkey stowaway saved from cargo ship
The people on board the ship had never seen a vervet.
A dehydrated, would-be stowaway of the furry, four-legged variety in the Durban Harbour was rescued on Saturday, 7 November by Monkey Helpline.
On Friday, 6 November, Monkey Helpline received a call about a monkey aboard a ship in the harbour.
“We asked them to find the monkey then call us back so we could come rescue it. Unfortunately, they could not find it, so we thought it might have left,” said Monkey Helpline’s Carol Booth.
The following day, Booth and Steve Smit were called again as the monkey was sighted on the container cargo ship, Maersk Savanah.
“When we arrived we had to go through a security induction to allow us into the harbour. This took a long time and we were worried the monkey might have left by then. Fortunately, this induction means we will be able to rescue monkeys for the next year without any delays,” said Booth.
The vast ship had the duo carting their trap up a steep gangplank before the search for the monkey began.
“We thought it was going to be difficult finding it as the ship was enormous. However, moments after Steve put the trap down, it popped its head around a corner. It must have seen the food in the trap and it just sauntered right in when Steve opened it up.
moments after Steve put the trap down, the monkey popped its head around a corner
It was dehydrated and traumatised, though it seemed calm once in the trap and sat, eating the food.
The people on board the ship were adamant they would save the monkey and were delighted to see it because they were from the Philippines and had never seen a vervet.”
The trap was then removed from the vessel by crane and the Monkey Helpline team took it to be checked out.
“He is doing fine and will be released in a day or two,” said Booth, who added that they receive quite a few calls to rescue monkeys in the harbour, as their usual territory changes with the increase in human activity in the area.
