Open letter to Agriculture Minister on monkey culling

We, the below animal welfare/animal rights organisations, note with dismay the recent announcement that hunters’ bounties on green monkeys have been increased from $15 to $25 in a bid to cull these animals.

Humans share over 90 per cent of our DNA with these primate cousins. They are highly intelligent and sentient beings. Many will be maimed by the hunters and drag themselves off to die in utter pain. A better approach to the monkey population would be to follow the example of Thailand, where neutering of males is done, and with the slight clipping of one of their ears to readily identify which have been neutered.

Green monkeys share our history of colonial abuse, having been stolen from Africa and brought to the Caribbean on slave ships to entertain the sailors. They assist with our balance of payments, as they are a great delight for tourists. A number of their traditional habitats have been lost due to the removal of trees. The replanting of fruit trees in their traditional habitats, combined with neutering, will resolve any perceived threat to agriculture, and it is a humane approach.

We call upon Mr Weir to immediately reverse the inhumane shooting approach currently adopted for monkey population control.

Lavern Beresford, President, Be Their Voice

Jo Gamblin, Secretary, The Ark Animal Welfare Society

Dorin Boyce, Coordinator, Respect Our Animal Regulations 

Danielle Mulligan, Trustee, K9 Friends Barbados

Lalu Hanuman, Trustee, Caribbean Vegetarian-Vegan Charity