yellowsunset

Hi everyone. This will probably give some of you a laugh! Just went on my walk around the golf course and there was a bunch of about 15 monkeys scattered around the course, 2 or 3 near the path. As I approached, I expected them to run off or ignore me - instead one of them "came at me" - for want of a better description - it was not a baby, but I have definitely seen larger monkeys than this one - anyway it kinda scared me so I tried to shush it away, stomped my feet, clapped my hands etc and then moved quicky forward only to have another one to my right do the same thing - only this one would not back off when I started clapping and stomping and actually started to chase me - so I am now running off, all the while looking behind me and having to jump and shout at this monkey and finally it stops chasing - by which time I was really freaked out and worried that the 13 other monkeys all dotted around would join in - so I ran even further away across the course to try and get away from them - I am sure this must have looked hilarious to anyone who might have been watching but I was actually quite scared - I have never had this happen before and have seen loads of monkeys around, in our garden etc. Is this typical or unusual and if so, what are you supposed to do - I have a feeling I should not have run but as I said, after the first 2 "attacked" I was scared they would all join in. There were no babies around that I saw so its not as if it was a mother that thought her baby was being threatened. Anyway, I found a stick further down the course and carried that for the remainder of my walk.... not sure I fancy another encounter tomorrow as I think this will now make me uneasy if I see any more monkeys now.

yellowsunset

Guess there aren't any monkey experts out there then.....

Foxy_fromCanada

I'm not sure what you're supposed to do if that happens, but yeah it's not unusual.

The monkeys here are really not afraid of us. They'll taunt dogs, people, other animals... they really are the "king of the jungle" in their minds! I know someone who was trying to shoo away monkeys from their mango tree, and the monkeys got annoyed and would take one bite of mango and then throw it at the people. It's like they knew they were both wasting the fruit and annoying the people at the same time. They are very smart!

Good luck on your walks, and I hope you don't run into any more monkey gangs!

Ikon

Eeek! That does sound scary!! Maybe take a banana out on your walks to give to the little troublemakers next time lol....

Not sure what you're supposed to do, either. Generally I think the monkeys here are really funny, and I hope they wouldn't hurt anyone. I guess you just have to walk away pretty fast if it happens again?!

bamiskados

We used to have a lot of monkeys on our property in St John. Very annoying( they stole most of the fruit on the tres) but not dangerous, they actually seem to have a sort of sense of humour in the sense they seem to come after people when they seem squared or so.
Our dog s would go mad at them , the first times they would ran away, and the second time they realised the dogs couldn't get to them in the trees and would sit there and just laugh at them.
I would have to remember not to leave foodstuff on the counters as they would come through the windows and steel it.
However other than that they never troubled anyone, children or animals, best thing is to ignore them. There is a chance the ones around the golfcourse are accustomed to be fed by people and come looking fot nibbles.

I have never heard of anyone being attacked or getting hurt by monkeys in Barbados, if they keep "troubling' you, carry some peanuts or so to make them happy.

Goodluck with them.

Serendipidy

Sunset I bet people at home would think your experience real cool lol - how many of us can claim to be shooed off the course by lil monkeys lol

One of our neighbours is a huge (size of a dog) monkey that visits around 7.30am to 8am of a morning - another neighbour actually came and asked if he could remove the bananas from my tree as the monkey was hanging out in my garden and scaring my female neighbour - cheeky bugger even sat under the tree selecting bananas and discarding the skins (the monkey that is not the neighbour lol)

Im real glad my major window is not open at that time cos from what i heard if they get in your house they can wreck it!!

Foxy_fromCanada

Ha ha ha! And I thought I had it rough, having birds peck holes into my bananas & pears! Too funny!

yellowsunset

Hmmm - perhaps my monkeys had been drinking.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSm7BcQHWXk&feature=fvst

bamiskados

LOL, never saw my monkeys do that, our drinks were safe .

Ikon

I don't object to them stealing fruit, but I take issue when they steal alcohol LOL!

RAZZMATAZZ

LOL,I've never seen monkeys quite so brazen in Barbados,although I have a friend with a lot of coconut and mango trees in St John;when he wants a coconut,he throws a mango at the monkeys and they oblige by pelting a coconut back at him,Saves climbing.
We have a whole family that sometimes sit on the back fence and stare at us through the french windows.If we open the windows they generally move very quickly and head to the mango tree,where they sit (as Bamiskados mentioned) and laugh at our dog barking below.