05 March 2025

Dear Residents

We would like to address an important issue currently being experienced : and this is that we are about to enter into the vervet monkey breeding season. This is from around March – June.

We always have an increased report rate of ‘aggression’ from monkeys at this time, however it is a normal part of their cycle, and during this time, testosterone levels are high, and tension within troops, and between troops, is heightened. It is not necessarily an ‘increased danger’, but rather that monkeys use body language to communicate, and that this body language is going to be heightened at this time.

There are some good points to bear in mind in order to reduce the likelihood of this, a few of which are:

1- To not have food in your possession in the presence of monkeys.
2- To not threaten monkeys with your behaviour.
3- Make sure homes are well secured,
4- Don’t approach monkeys directly
5- Avoid eye contact.

This is possibly one of the best and most important ways to avoid confrontation with monkeys. They rely largely on body language within their social communication, and to them, the eyes tell the story. If you lock eyes with an aggressive monkey, they take this as a challenge. It is best to look away and pretend they are not there. This will further reduce any risk of confrontation.

Learning to understand wildlife really helps to overcome fears… we also learnt this at the snake talk.

And just to mention lastly, a significant part of the challenge we have with monkeys is due to them associating humans with food. There is more than enough food in the greenbelts to sustain vervet monkey populations, and unless we can break this link, we are not likely to remove the challenges we have. Monkeys are getting mixed messages from humans. This is only going to increase conflict. There needs to be one clear message, that we are not a source of food. Not in any way (via feeding, bins, pet food, open windows etc etc).

Until we get that right in our community, the challenge continues.

What we would like to encourage residents to do, is to slowly start to get this message across to our neighbours. This will increase the harmony that we desire to have with wildlife. Harmony sometimes requires space, distance and respect, with particular species.

Harmony is not, one neighbour next-door feeding, and the neighbour on the other side chasing monkeys out the house screaming.

Trusting the above is of benefit to all residents.

Kind regards
Rieva McMurtrie
SEMHOA : Estate Manager