Feral Monkey - Florida
by Doug McPherson
Title
Feral Monkey - Florida
Artist
Doug McPherson
Medium
Photograph
Description
I had heard stories about wild monkeys living along Florida's Silver River and wanted to see if I could find them. The Silver River, near Ocala, as it turns out is a little piece of jungle in America - the perfect place for monkeys.
After a full day of kayaking and exploring the beautiful river I came up empty in my search for monkeys. The vegetation is subtropical, thick, dense and the monkeys could have been anywhere. I gave up and began paddling back up the river. The water of the Silver River is spring fed and crystal clear. Alligators, fish, turtles and many types of birds are everywhere and a small underwater camera I brought along kept me occupied. A cry like I have never heard before caught my attention and I paddled in the direction of the sound. I quickly saw movement in the trees and after entering a side stream, soon found myself in the middle of a troupe of monkeys. It is amazing how well they blend in with their surroundings and if motionless, they are nearly invisible. I ended up spending a few hours sitting in my kayak with monkeys on either side of the stream and often in the trees above my head. This was an amazing experience. I love wildlife photography and photographing these monkeys was a highlight I will not soon forget and I look forward to my next trip.
Many stories exist as to how troupes of feral Rhesus macaques came to live along the Silver River in Florida. Some stories claim the monkeys escaped from the sets of Tarzan movies while a popular belief is that the monkeys were imported and released by a tour boat captain. Regardless of how monkeys came to live in the wild in Florida, they have thrived. The Silver River, near Ocala is a crystal clear spring fed river lined with subtropical plants - the perfect home for monkeys. Florida is home to a variety of non native animals that now live in the wild - Pet owners often find their exotic pets become too large or too difficult to care for and release them. Florida's climate is perfect for many species from around the world and has an abundance of food. Hurricanes, such as Hurricane Andrew caused heavy damage to many zoos and animal parks releasing all sorts of mammals, reptiles and birds. Escaped or released snakes such as the python are a series problem currently in Florida and their populations are growing.
Uploaded
April 12th, 2014
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