South Florida biologist runs Dania Beach sanctuary for vervet monkeys
FORT LAUDERDALE - Dozens of vervet monkeys have lived in South Florida's mangroves for decades. But human interactions and urban dangers threaten their survival.
Biologist Missy Williams doesn't monkey around when it comes to preserving wildlife. It's why she founded the Dania Beach Vervet Project to save a group of African monkeys living in the shadow of Fort Lauderdale International Airport.
"My goal was to find some sort of welfare for them," she said.
The 50 or so monkeys are not native to Florida. They are descended from about a dozen Vervet monkeys that escaped a lab eighty years ago and made Dania Beach's mangroves their urban jungle their home.
"Since they are non-native we can't release them. So instead of being euthanized or given to another facility in the pet trade, we are open to provide a very safe home for these animals in need," said Williams.
Two of the monkeys currently living in the sanctuary came from the wild, a third one was given up by its owner.
Williams says electrocutions present the biggest threat to the monkeys.
"They like to climb on top of poles and sometimes they make contact with the wires," she said.
Some have been hit by cars while others have been captured and kept as pets.
"We actually have a famous TikTokker who stole one of the monkeys in 2019," said Williams.
There's currently no permanent solution for the monkeys' safety. Williams says she plans to expand on her 16-acre sanctuary to give more of the monkeys a home.