Vervet cruelty has crusader on a mission
R10 000 reward offered for animal cruelty conviction
MONKEY cruelty campaigner
Miriam
Otto is putting her money where sadistic vervet shooters’ trigger fingers are, with R10 000 on offer for a successful conviction of offenders.
The wife of a local vet has had enough of attending to wounded, bleeding, suffering animals - many of whom perish despite intense, often costly care.
Apart from the medicines and surgical expenses, countless hours of sleep are lost when waking to feed a baby that lost its mother to a gun.
Matters finally boiled over on Thursday evening when Miriam, together with her husband and son, went to the home of a resident who had observed a small monkey drinking from her birdbath and battling to breathe.
They arrived at 8pm and were able to coax the baby from under a neighbour’s car, but it died soon after in the arms of her son.
It was later determined through X-rays that the one-year-old female had been shot.
The position of the wound – the bullet entered her from below as she sat in a tree and hit her spine - meant she slowly and agonisingly bled to death as her chest filled with blood.
“A concerned and compassionate member of the public has put up the
R10 000 reward,” said Miriam.
“This would require someone to lodge a case and have proof that will stand up in court and gain a conviction, such as video evidence.”
However, Miriam believes that education remains the only way to a permanent solution and that understanding the monkeys’ behaviour and travel patterns is the first step.
The vervets are increasingly under threat as they slowly lose more of their natural habitat, forcing them to forage closer to homes and gardens, creating problems for homeowners.
To that end, she plans to invite an expert to engage with residents at an open public meeting where problems and solutions can be aired in a spirit that will encourage a positive outcome.
“We know that many people are afraid for their children and their pets, and that fear sometimes translates into violent reaction.
“Let’s all sit down calmly and try to resolve the matter. However, shooting them remains both illegal and inhumane.”