Monkey problem: St Kitts' great attraction becomes great headache
By Gemma Handy
Basseterre, St Kitts
16 August 2019
DR MEGHAN DAVIS
The monkeys are popular with tourists but can pose a problem for other wildlife
Browse tourist snaps of St Kitts and some of the most photographed faces have olive-brown tresses and piercing hazel eyes which peer inquisitively from trees, private gardens and beach bars alike.
The Caribbean island's green vervet monkeys are as iconic as its historic fortresses and black sand beaches.
But the charismatic creatures that so enthral holidaymakers cause misery for local farmers, munching their way through every crop from mangoes and watermelons to squash and cucumber. So indiscriminate are their taste buds, research indicates three in four of the country's farms are now affected.
Balancing tourism, which accounts for almost two-thirds of the country's GDP, against the need to feed the human population, is a peculiar dichotomy.
Monkeys are not native to St Kitts, or its sister isle Nevis where they also thrive, and were likely brought here by 17th Century early settlers as exotic pets.
More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49125580
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