Flying Monkeys? Primates Flourish Near Fort Lauderdale Airport

DANIA BEACH, FL — In a state where Burmese pythons sometimes grow longer than Chevy minivans and cockroaches have been known to fly, it's no wonder that a colony of wild Africa vervet monkeys would hardly raise an eyebrow. That was the case on Sunday at the Park N' Fly just outside Hollywood-Fort Lauderdale International Airport. A group of wild monkeys could be seen lounging atop parked cars, walking the expansive parking lot on all fours and just monkeying around.

"Welcome to South Florida, the Ellis Island of exotic animals," quipped Zoo Miami's Ron Magill when asked about the airport area monkeys. "They've been there since the late '50s. I think there were like a dozen of them or so that escaped or were released by this place that used to breed them for research and also had a little tourist attraction on the side." (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Patch.)

While that facility has long since closed, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates that there are still two troops of "well over 120 animals" that remain near Dania Beach in Broward County. As far as monkeys go, these are medium-sized and distinguished by their distinctive black faces framed by white cheeks.

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"There are no removal efforts in place for these monkeys. This is an established population dating back to the 1950’s," acknowledged Carol Lyn Parrish of the commission's South Region. She told Patch that her agency is not aware of any incidents involving the airport area monkeys

Magill said it is likely that some people have been feeding the monkeys, which make their home in a "dense and impenetrable" mangrove area. "Those monkeys went back into that area where people really couldn't get to them and they started to reproduce," he posited.

Ralph Figueras, who manages the Fort Lauderdale airport Park N' Fly said that the mischievous visitors don't stop by every day.

"They live in the back where the woods are," said Figueras, who insisted that his employees have been warned not to feed the animals. "Sometimes I don’t see them for a month."

On Sunday, there were lots of monkeys in his parking lot. Three could be seen walking leisurely in front of the airport shuttle that takes travelers to and from their cars, while another relaxed on the hood of a Mercedes. Three others stretched out on a nearby curb.

Figueras said that the monkeys routinely visit other parking lots around the airport as well. "The problem is they’ve got big teeth. We don’t want to find out if they do, or they don’t bite," he added.

Magill said that mother nature keeps the local monkey population in check. "The actual limited density of that area and the limited space of that area has basically kept that population at a fairly constant level," he explained. "There was concern for awhile these monkeys were going to attack people and were going to be a problem. But over the years, they seem to have just contained themselves in there."

As such, the monkeys are not considered a threat to humans or other native animals that live in the area. "This is of course a non-native specifies, but the bottom line is that they are not considered invasive yet," Magill observed.

Vervets are possibly the most common monkey found in Sub-Saharan Africa, he added.

"You see them at all the tourist lodges, safari lodges that people go to," he said. "These monkeys learn very quickly that they can come into the lodge to steal the bags of sugar off the table or steal things from your vehicle, or steal things from your tent. They become acclimated to being around people very quickly and I'm sure that these have done the same thing."

While there is little question the airport monkeys are comfortable around people, Magill warned people not to take any chances. "Monkeys can be dangerous. They can bite. They can become very aggressive," according to Magill. "I don't think that's happened with these monkeys as of yet, but it certainly has the potential."

That means no sharing leftover flight snacks.

"As cute and as attractive as it seems, do not feed it. Do not try to interact with it because you can put yourself in danger," Magill cautioned. "These monkeys adapt very quickly. They are very intelligent. They are looking for handouts."

Fortunately, he said that vervet monkeys tend to scatter when they hear loud noises.

"Wave your hands. Make a lot of noise. They are most likely going to run away," he said. "Don't put your hand out like you've got a marshmallow in it. But if you come out making a lot of noise, I'm pretty sure they're going to get out of your way."

Vervet monkeys could be seen walking leisurely in front of the airport shuttle that takes travelers to and from their cars. Photos by Paul Scicchitano