QUANTIFYING VERVET MONKEY'S EXPOSURE TO HUMANS THROUGH
THE USE OF CAMERA TRAPS
Chlorocebus sabaeus (vervet) monkeys were introduced to Dania Beach, Florida, in 1948 after escaping from the Dania Chimpanzee Farm. Now, a group of descendants from those vervets live in a mangrove swamp bordering the urban environment of a parking lot 2.2 miles from the Fort Lauderdale International Airport. Despite their proximity, this particular group of vervet monkeys has rarely been studied. In 1995, the population of vervets in Dania Beach was documented for the first time. Since then, only five studies have been published on the vervets. In this urban environment, the vervet monkeys are frequently introduced to humans, cars, and food scraps. Using Browning and GradePro camera traps, the vervet’s daily routes were tracked over a four-month period to see approximately how often the monkeys were spotted along the fence perimeter. We believe that the more time the vervets spent along the fence line increases their potential exposure to humans. This study hopes to be used in later research to compare the specific interactions between humans and vervet monkeys in Dania Beach and Africa as a potential explanation for behavioral differences that have been noted.
