A battle of wits between vervets and humans in Kenya village

[BurtWorm]

Here's a fascinating story about a clash of intelligent species near the cradle of humanity.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6959209.stm

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They say the monkeys are more afraid of young men than women and children, and the bolder ones throw stones and chase the women from their farms.

Nachu's women have tried wearing their husbands' clothes in an attempt to trick the monkeys into thinking they are men - but this has failed, they say.

"When we come to chase the monkeys away, we are dressed in trousers and hats, so that we look like men," resident Lucy Njeri told the BBC News website

"But the monkeys can tell the difference and they don't run away from us and point at our breasts. They just ignore us and continue to steal the crops."

In addition to stealing their crops, the monkeys also make sexually explicit gestures at the women, they claim.

"The monkeys grab their breasts, and gesture at us while pointing at their private parts. We are afraid that they will sexually harass us," said Mrs Njeri.

The Kenya Wildlife Service head of other species, Mr Charles Musyoki, told the BBC News website that the behaviour the villagers were complaining about has not been documented before, but they had launched investigations.

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[Buzz Clik]

1. I hate misogynist monkeys.

[BurtWorm]

2. They look so egalitarian too.

:crazy:

[BurtWorm]

3. Here's another story about a wise-ass vervet

from togolosh, a poster on Majikthise:

http://majikthise.typepad.com/majikthise_/2007/08/vervet-and-babo.html

http://bp3.blogger.com/_A8Vg4eNrfpg/RtMpKxffyqI/AAAAAAAAAXk/Bbk24HaObUs/s320/monkey+kenya.JPG

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I have also been harassed by vervets. The vervet in the photo above stole my bananas.

I was camping in a wooded area near Lake Nakuru, and preparing a small lunch. I had a bunch of bananas which would play no small role in my lunch, dinner, and breakfast. But I made the error of turning my back on my bananas for one brief moment. The vervet, apparently watching me from a hidden spot, made its move and snatched the bananas. I gave pursuit.

Smug though we may be in our comparative evolutionary status, a hungry man versus a vervet possesses no preordained outcome. An armed vervet military would be a mighty foe indeed. The vervet was quick and smart, I must grant him that. But he was also greedy. The bunch of bananas - about eight bananas - was too heavy for the vervet. He could therefore only drag them behind him, slowing him down considerably, and keeping him from the trees. My pursuit through woods and valleys was closing the gap. I was about to dive for the bananas - honest, actually dive for them - when the vervet cut his losses by plucking one banana from the bunch and scrambling up a tree. He chattered down at me sarcastically between bites of his purloined banana. I believe I shook my fist at him, as humans are known to do when provoked.

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