Was it the filming of Tarzan or escapees from an amusement park? No one is really sure, but today Florida's Silver River State Park plays host not just to RVers, but to troupes of rhesus monkeys. Lots of visitors say the monkey shines are what draws them to the park, but the primates are not without controversy.
While the monks are unarguably cute, according to park officials, they're a health risk. With monkey droppings just lying around waiting for human contact and the possibility of monkey bites, authorities think it's time for the colony to go. To that end, some years back a trapper was granted a license to remove the monkeys.
The monkey marauder, one Scott Cheslak, was given a permit for live capture of monkeys at the park, provided he doesn't kill or display them. After a decade and 700 scooped up simians, it still isn't clear what Cheslak has done with his captured crew. At one time he sold them to a scientific research lab. An official there swears the monkeys they bought from Cheslak were used only for breeding--not testing. After a while the lab stopped buying them from the trapper.
What's happening to the Silver River monkeys is a mystery. At this point, Scott Cheslak isn't talking to the media. And neither are the reluctant rhesuses remaining at the park.
photo: Monkey at Silver River by Peter Long on flickr.com
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