Outside their native range they’ve established populations in areas including the Florida Keys and Puerto Rico.Ī young rhesus monkey learns a lesson about sharing. Having such a diverse diet means these monkeys can survive almost anywhere, Riley says. These monkeys are mostly herbivorous but may also eat insects, small invertebrates, and bird eggs. The colony within Silver Springs State Park has already spread into the Ocklawaha River and could easily establish new colonies in other parts of the state, experts warn. Although the town is just outside the park, stray males will occasionally venture within city limits and have ranged over 100 miles from their home colony, turning up in outlying cities such as Sarasota and Tallahassee. One large group of rhesus monkeys recently raided a deer-feeder behind a house in Ocala-and yes, there are photographs. Troops of Silver Springs macaques have caused mischief outside the park as well. Several aggressive monkey displays have led to two partial park closures since 2016, including one last summer, which was implemented after a monkey charged a family along one of the park’s boardwalks. “They aren’t as afraid of humans as other animals, and they can be pretty nasty,” she says. Rhesus Macaques are particularly problematic primates, says anthropologist Erin Riley, who studies human-animal interactions at San Diego State University.
MONKEY ISLAND HOMOSASSA FLORIDA LICENSE
Photographed at Naples Zoo, Florida.īuy a print | License this photo Photograph by Joel Sartore, Nat Geo Image Collection Monkey business The endangered white-fronted lemur (Eulemur albifrons) faces two threats: Destruction of its rain forest habitat in Madagascar as a result of slash-and-burn agriculture, and human hunting for food in five ostensibly protected areas of the country.
One trapper alone caught and sold 700 of the creatures. By that time, trappers with permits from the state had delivered more than 1,000 monkeys into the hands of biomedical researchers, much to the dismay of animal rights groups. But many locals don’t support such a move.īoth sterilization and removal ended abruptly around 2012 when the public discovered the monkeys were being taken from the park and sold. To completely eradicate them, the most viable option would be to remove half of the adults and those nearing adulthood every two years for at least 16 years, Anderson adds. The population could be reduced to a third of its current size if half the females are sterilized annually. It's now growing around 11 percent annually, says Jane Anderson, wildlife ecologist and assistant professor of research at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, who led the study team. Now what?)īut the population continues to expand, perhaps with increasing speed. Officials also sterilized 20 female macaques during that time. By the 1980s, hundreds had spread out across the 5,000-acre park.īetween 19, Florida wildlife officials authorized the removal of more than 1,000 monkeys in an effort to slow population growth and prevent conflict with humans. Six more macaques were brought in to replace them, but they escaped as well.
Within hours of arriving on the island, the pink-faced monkeys began escaping into the woods. Unbeknownst to Tooey, rhesus macaques are strong swimmers. He procured the monkeys from a primate dealer in New York City with the intention to create a Tarzan-themed attraction on the island, but his plans quickly unraveled. Florida’s primate problem began in 1938 when a tour boat operator known as "Colonel Tooey" released six rhesus macaques onto a small island within what is now the state park.