Perhaps Monkeys Aren't so Cute

John and I have always enjoyed seeing the monkeys that live around Kitale. Sometimes we see them in the trees or on the fence surrounding our compound. John calls them his little angels. I look for them each morning on the school grounds when I arrive. Often there are mothers with little babies hanging onto their stomachs. Most Kenyans view them as a nuisance. They eat crops and destroy things.

Our compound dogs don't like the monkeys. Whenever they see them in the trees they bark and bark go crazy. (Dina is doing so right now!) I think the monkeys tease them which doesn't help matters.

We have lived here almost four years now. It wasn't until about a year ago that I realized one of the high pitched sounds I thought was a bird was actually monkeys chattering.

At school they are viewed as a pest. They cause problems getting in the garbage, stealing maize out of the store in the kitchen, getting in the dorms, running across the tin roofs causing lessons to be interrupted due to the noise. It is illegal to kill them but if they cause too much harm, we can call the Kenyan Wildlife Service and they will come and shoot some.

I have even heard of monkeys getting into people's homes.

On Thursday afternoons, John and I are both finished teaching at noon. We like to come home and spend the afternoon working here. I was sitting in the reading alcove in our hallway yesterday afternoon. I thought I saw something in my peripheral vision but when I turned to look, nothing was there. A few minutes later I heard a small sound. A monkey had come in through a bedroom window and was in the hallway. When I saw him I shooed him and he ran back out.

The windows were wide open and they had easy access. So John and I closed them. A few minutes later lunch was ready. John and I were eating when I looked up and that same monkey had come through the grill on the front door. The bars on that door are 4 1/2 inches apart. I guess that was also easy access.

I never thought I'd have monkeys in my house! Maybe they aren't so cute after all!