Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
NEIGHBORS GO APE OVER STRAY MONKEY
FORT LAUDERDALE — A forlorn monkey has been on the loose in the affluent Rio Vista neighborhood and the locals are gushing over their furry new neighbor.
The first sightings came just after Christmas and since then the monkey has become a local celebrity, even though he has mostly stayed out of the limelight.
Some residents have jumped into golf carts to go on early morning block-to-block searches, hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive animal. Others would prefer to keep their distance.
“I don’t want to have a personal encounter with it, but I think it’s amazing,” said Zoey Given. “I think people here find it interesting.”
Her two sons, J.P., 9, and Nathan, 11, said they’ve been keeping an eye out for the monkey.
“We could hear it on the roof,” J.P. said.
There is an explanation as to how a monkey arrived at the upscale eastern community. The neighborhood is bordered to the north by the New River, to the south by Southeast 12th Street, to the west by U.S. 1 and to the east by the Stranahan River.
A colony of about 40 African vervet monkeys lives not far away in dense mangroves west of Port Everglades and
in West Lake Park. They have likely existed there for at least 60 years, thought to have been released from a 1950s tourist attraction.
Vervets live in mixedgender groups with a single dominant male. On average, the adult male weighs 12 pounds; adult females, 10 pounds. Adults are about 18 inches tall.
There are six species of vervets throughout Africa; the ones here are thought to be from West Africa. Their lifespan varies; in captivity they have been known to live up to 20 years.
This particular monkey has a name — Tarzan — given to him by a former marina worker in Dania Beach, and his wanderings probably began after another male usurped him, said Missy Williams, who has studied the colony for three years.
Males leave their group to avoid reproducing with relatives, and can change groups several times throughout their lifetime. When they change groups, they start out with a low ranking. Alpha status usually lasts three to five years. Females usually stay in their group and are closely related.
Tarzan is likely looking for a new social group, said Williams, a Ph.D. student at Florida Atlantic University.
“He should head back to the Port Everglades area once he realizes there aren’t any other monkeys,” she said. There are three groups among the 40 monkeys, and Tarzan will likely join one different than the one he left.
There haven’t been any reports of the monkeys being aggressive toward humans, or causing property damage or disease, Williams said. They usually run away when approached.
Residents don’t seem worried about the latest inhabitant.
“There’s no question he could have been hiding right back there,” said Charles Kirschner, referring to the thicket lining his backyard fence. “We’ve seen opossums and racoons, but never a monkey before.”