Dania Beach Vervet Project seeks donations to upgrade monkey sanctuary
MIAMI - For 80 years now, Vervet monkeys have lived in the wild in Dania Beach. They escaped from a chimp farm in the 1940s that was selling them in the bio-medical trade.
"They got all the vervet monkeys back except 12-15 individuals. So, the 40 monkeys that we see out here in Dania Beach today descend from that group of 15 that escaped," explained Dr. Missy Williams from the Dania Beach Vervet Project.
She runs the Dania Beach Monkey Sanctuary, nestled in the middle of the home to wild monkeys. "I like the idea that we have the sanctuary in Dania Beach where the wild monkeys are so they're able to interact and hang out with wild monkeys. I hope that reduces some of the stress," Dr. Williams said.
While wild monkeys visit here daily, three monkeys live here inside the enclosures at the sanctuary. Betty was electrocuted and lost a leg. Margarita was kept as a pet, then given up and Spock was trapped as a nuisance monkey.
The sanctuary is very careful about who it takes in because as non-native to Florida, there are tough rules. "If they're trapped for any reason, if they need vet care, we can't release them into the wild because of that status," Dr. Williams explained.
Now, the sanctuary is looking for help to upgrade. "We need electricity," Williams said, "SPCA International was very gracious. They gave us funds to build an onsite vet clinic. So, we were able to buy the supplies, now we just need electricity to run some of that machinery," she said.
Aside from the vet clinic, they're looking to convert one of three enclosures into a weather shelter. "We would like to build a hurricane-proof shelter so the animals can get out of the rain, get out of the cold and if a hurricane comes we have a safe place for them to stay," Dr. Williams said.
The hope is that these upgrades can make a difference in the daily lives of the monkeys that call the sanctuary home.
"It really is a story of compassion and empathy and wanting to do right by these animals that were brought here to be used for labs and escaped. So it's a great heartwarming story," she said with a smile.
The Dania Beach Vervet Project is trying to raise $20,000 for those upgrades. To make a secure donation CBS Miami's Neighbors 4 Neighbors is here to help. You can text "MONKEYSHELTER" to 41444 or go here: Neighbors4Neighbors.org/MONKEYSHELTER
In Africa, vervets are eaten by leopards, eagles and snakes. But in Florida, the dangers are outside the mangroves — mostly cars and trappers, who sell them as pets.