Wildlife

Furry, cute and drooling herpes: what to do with Florida's invasive monkeys?

Rhesus macaques were introduced to Silver Springs state park in the 30s but, now 400 strong, they harbor a disease fatal to humans

Adam Gabbatt

 @adamgabbatt

Tue 31 Dec 2019 02.15 ESTLast modified on Tue 31 Dec 2019 08.49 EST

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 A rhesus macaque monkey observes kayakers as they navigate along the Silver River in Silver Springs, Florida. Photograph: John Raoux/AP

Visitors to Florida’s picturesque Silver Springs state park have been warned that they may encounter an unusual threat: hundreds of wild, herpes-infected monkeys.

The monkeys, rhesus macaques, originate from two small groups released into the Silver Springs state park almost 100 years ago by an eccentric boat captain. Their numbers have soared since then, and experts predict there could be 400 roaming the park by 2022.

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