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Out of these cases he has found that
monkeys do eat crops. But, Mr Hunt says that vervets do not consume unripe food. He has found that they only eat edible part of fruit, fallen to ground, caused from an insect. Therefore, as fruit is unlikely to be sold and is thus perishable due to insect, no original damage was caused to their income by vervets. Also, fruit sold in markets are picked unripe giving no reason for monkeys to eat them.
As you encroach upon an area, a point comes when human meets animal. The outcome of this interaction depends on our view and attitude towards animal. So, when a troop of vervets came down from hills near Ga-Rankawa Hospital near Pretoria it was reported that a nurse was injured from being scared and hospital employees were victims. This would be a natural reaction given negative image.
The vervet are not only ones, even African wild dogs have been victims of this also. According to WWF website [www.wwf] killing “has resulted in immense decline in their range and numbers on whose populations continue to dwindle – only 500 or so remain”. Instead of being detested they are quickly becoming a tourist attraction. Hopefully this will help towards eradicating vermin label. The Green Bank (a subsidiary of WWF) are even funding a project to aid this canine. There’s hope yet.
Is there? Certainly not if people exist such as this following individual. He advertises killer instruments, most efficient ways to kill vermin. They include gin traps , neck traps and 1080 poison. Possession of former is banned in 90 countries including those in EU. Even worse poison is banned worldwide due to its potential threat. One spoonful of this stuff can kill a hundred people.
Even with well known Kruger National Park there is much to do for wildlife conservation in South Africa. The killing of large animals may have stopped but given time and awareness of vermin classification may hopefully change attitudes towards saving grandfather of ape world and other such problem animals.
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