This is really a mess.". So we head back to the launch site. ''They just stripped all the state land and left it bare,'' Governor Martinez said at the Cabinet meeting on June 26. Scientists glimpse monkey thought to have gone extinct, One month free trial to the Monitor Daily. He said the monkeys were their own best security. Because the monkeys on Lois Key were extremely rare and valuable, they were carefully maintained, he said. But it drew criticism from OpinionJournal.com, The Wall Street Journal's online opinion page, which called the idea ''preposterous.'' No one talks much about Monkey Island anymore. The grandest of adventures are born on isolated islands. Southwest Florida residents, statewide activists, and national animal welfare groups are applying pressure on Hendry County, state, and federal officials through highly publicized protests and lawsuits. ''I didn't like those monkeys,'' he said. Once we found a nice spot, we prepared to fish. When I feel bad about this all I need to do is look to the Chinese. continue to use the site without a Private tour operators offer a Paddle Boat Adventure in a motorized kayak, getting you to your destination in style. But their efforts were unsuccessful until recently, when a judge ordered Charles River, the world's largest lab-animal production company, to relocate all the free-roaming monkeys within the next two years. Consultant. Dont even think about trying it. | They are about 25 miles northeast of Key West. Science Monitor has expired. Use a needle and thread to sew the end of the arm to the body. The animals cost up to $4,000 each. This website uses cookies to And red mangrove trees, which stabilize shorelines and provide homes for dozens of species, are protected by law. ''And monkeys are not very sociable creatures. Once upon a time in the Florida Keys there was a horrible monkey-infested island called Lois Key. The monkey population reached a high of 6,000 in 1983, before the state passed any laws protecting its mangroves. The order marks a high point for an environmental struggle that has been under way for 16 years. But why does fishing for rats seem to me to be less barbaric than fishing for monkeys? Roberts says Charles River did all it could to prevent mangrove destruction. Overhead costs of running monkey-breeding colonies are lower on the islands than they would be at indoor caged facilities elsewhere. Since the 1980s, they have devoured 40 acres of mangroves and are fouling tidal waters with their droppings. Their isolation has kept them from contracting a myriad of modern-world diseases. Lt. Roy Payne of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that he has patrolled the keys for 13 years. Feb 2020 - Present3 years 3 months. It can be fascinating to explore islands where ancient civilizations and tribes once thrived and imagine what their lives there would have looked like. While Charles River owned the islands, the shoreline where red mangroves grew remained state property. We are ashamed and embarrassed, and we apologize. Boaters who happened upon Lois and Raccoon Keys (a.k.a. '', See the article in its original context from. He practiced a form of catch and release. Monkeys cant really swim, but the water round the island was shallow. A local bar, upset about a vermin problem the city was doing nothing to correct, found a unique way to bring attention to the issue. View the profiles of people named Lois Mackey. We got there at about 9 am but found no parking. Jones is a supporter of a proposed Keys ordinance that would outlaw breeding operations that allow animals to run free. Pirates stalked Spanish treasure fleets, British warships pursued illegal slave ships, and wreckers waited for all of their misfortunes along the shallow reefs. A lawsuit also alleges Hendry approved Primera, the newest facility, without public input. Mr. Caputo said that the Key West fisherman said he had practiced monkey fishing on the island. Re-publication without written permission is against the law. We believe news can and should expand a sense of identity and possibility beyond narrow conventional expectations. They were brought from India by Charles River Laboratories of Wilmington, Mass., so that the young could be trapped and sold for medical research. Today the monkeys are gone and the mangroves recovering. ''Unless they know a person, they would never get close enough to be visible, let alone eat from a hook,'' he said. The monkey came flying from the trees, a juicy apple stapled to its palm.''. Mr. Forman did not return phone calls over the weekend. [12] Keep your stitches tight and close together so the tail and arms stay in place. A Humboldt's squirrel monkey is fooled by the "French Drop" magic trick. LINDA KLEINDIENST Tallahassee Bureau Chief. It's not a healthy situation," Monroe County Commissioner Doug Jones said. Lois D Mackey. A status hearing on the 4-year-old ownership suit is scheduled for Aug. 30 before Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Ignacious Lester. So in this case torture is a sport, as opposed to, say, murder. We went north about 2 mile to Islamorada to a launch on the bayside. But an agreement with the state allowed breeding to continue on 100-acre Key Lois until 2012, at which time the island would revert to the state, and on 300-acre Raccoon Key until 2024, when the federal government would take control. These wild monkeys thrive in Floridaand carry a deadly virus Wildlife managers in Florida say they want to remove roaming monkeys, like this one on the Silver River, from Silver Spring State. would take a toll on them but I see no reason why macaques could not persist in the Everglades, said Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, a California-based anthropologist. or call us at 1-617-450-2300. In an e-mail letter over the weekend, Mr. Kinsley wrote, ''The story we published was fiction in key aspects. Charles River Laboratories fenced in and replanted some trees, but disputed the boundary and sued the state in 1986. The tarpon were not biting, he said, and the members of the fishing party -- himself, Mr. Forman and a fisherman -- had been drinking. We He says Charles River has adopted a strategy of delay to keep its lucrative monkey-breeding operation going as long as possible. Monkeys -- specifically, rhesus monkeys, which are natives of Asia. Spoiler alert: the famous cement buoy in Key West isnt technically the southernmost point in the country. Charles River has also agreed to remove all caged animals from the keys by early next century and turn the land over to the state of Florida. He dug two canals on the Tarpon Belly Keys, and tried his best for a few years. [1] Lois Key is not connected to the rest of the Florida Keys by bridge or by land. This guest post was written by Karuna Eberl and Steve Alberts, who lived on Cudjoe Key in the Lower Keys and wrote an entertaining book Key West & the Lower Keys Travel Guide. (Its a terrific book for anyone who loves the Keys, as Karuna and Steve clearly do.). Learn how your comment data is processed. These were not the lovable anthropomorphic orangs of Dunston Checks In fame. On a hike, look for a raised and rocky-dirt beds or ridges. But rather than ending the debate, the governor's order has just left the monkey breeding operation in limbo. The monkeys' breeders and the state have been engaged in battle for about a decade. The 11-acre island had a population large enough to support two general stores, a hotel, warehouses, a bowling alley, a 38-man militia and all of the labor needed to run his lucrative shipwreck salvage. When he died in 2018, he willed the island back to nature, or rather to the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. The state owns everything below the high-water line, and environmental officials ordered Bausch & Lomb to clean up those grounds years ago. On June 26, the Florida Cabinet considered a lease agreement that would have settled the long-running dispute. Here are six of our favorites, not necessarily in any particular order. It hit home on a gut level, because these animals really are a lot like us. Both are bitchin in laboratories. Lois Key is not connected to the rest of the Florida Keys by bridge or by land. Peter struggles to keep up with her hard-partying new lifestyle. We have taken our kids and friends many times. By continuing to browse the site A pharmaceutical company had released a bunch of rhesus monkeys there and left them to breed, thereby supplying research labs around the country with a fresh supply of experimental test subjects. Anyone can read what you share. More than a decade ago Bausch & Lomb in a business venture put thousands of rhesus monkeys on two small deserted islands to breed. None of it fits.''. Since the DNR can only punish people for trespassing on or damaging state lands, the ownership question has to be resolved before Charles River can be prosecuted. (Via PETA). I have a friend in Baltimore who told me about a similar sport involving rats. Key, more than 1,000 rhesus monkeys frolic in the sun of the Florida Keys. The islands are a few miles north of Cudjoe, and the closest marinas are Cudjoe Gardens and Sugarloaf. With more than 1,700 islands, it is not surprising that todays Keys have ample abandoned history to explore. Now came the cruel part. The trip includes lunch, snorkeling gear and bottled water. The department is trying to find surveyors willing to brave the monkeys and measure the property, Mr. Plante said. An excellent strategist, she understands the various layers from policy maker concerns to credit committee perspectives, as well as operator focus. Mr. Roberts says the company is considering sending the monkeys to a breeding facility operated by the University of Miami on the Florida mainland. Typically, if [a monkey] does get out beyond the confines of the cage, rarely and I mean rarely do they ever leave. Some area homeowners don't understand why the company has been allowed to let the trees be destroyed. The rub was that Lois would've been killed inside the Batcave, and Superman would then blame Batman for her death, explaining why Batman is public enemy number one in the Superman . The Monitor Daily amplifies and clarifies how we deliver on the Monitors purpose, to benefit humanity by reporting what is happening in the world and why and how this information matters to you. Although they receive daily meals of "monkey chow," two large colonies of Rhesus monkeys couldn't resist the tasty leaves of protected mangrove trees. Yes. It is uninhabited, but until 1999, was the site of a commercially operated breeding colony of rhesus monkeys. Even the companion that Jay Forman, the Slate columnist, brought on his adventure in the Keys a few years back, said last week that the men did not actually hook any monkeys out of the trees, as the column stated, and that he had no direct evidence that anyone else ever had. An ongoing series of reports by The Fort Myers News-Press has focused worldwide attention on what is being called the monkey breeding capital of the U.S. Predation from pythons, panthers, alligators, etc. "We haven't received any official notification from the state about what happens next," Kelley said. Island Area of dry or relatively dry land surrounded by water or low wetland. Once upon a time in the Florida Keys there was a horrible monkey-infested island called Lois Key. Monkey Island) were treated to a real-life Island of Doctor Moreau, complete with eerie monkey calls and simian silhouettes roaming the shoreline. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The fishermen, the story continued, would bait their hooks with apples and practice a form of catch-and-release fishing for the rhesus monkeys that had been bred on the island for medical research. We went with some friends 5/8/22 to show them Indian and Ligumvitum Key. A deeper view that unites instead of divides, connecting why the story matters to you. Fears are that a hurricane or even a major storm could carry some members of the colony to other islands. Boaters who happened upon Lois and Raccoon Keys (a.k.a. Conservationists win long fight to move primates, September 24, 1997 The rubble he left behind can still be found on the island along with an abandoned truck. Despite conservationists' fears, the monkeys haven't been a threat to all endangered species in the Keys. You can renew your subscription or If youre visiting Longboat Key, you will find Greer Island at the northern tip, colloquially known as Beer Can Island. They were miserable there, howling and screeching and polluting the pristine waters with their feces. visiting Mom and Dad for the Holidays. They scamper along the ground, swing through trees, chirp noisily and jump over fences meant to contain them. ''It looks like a war zone right now, just like Vietnam,'' said James McElroy, who is part of a grass-roots anti-monkey campaign. Raccoon Key's headed the same way, and I have a real fear that the monkeys will spread all over the Keys," said biologist Curtis Kruer, vice president of the Keys Audobon Society. A division of vision care giant Bausch & Lomb, Charles River is one of only about five breeders of the rhesus monkeys that are so popular for medical research. Houses cover part of Upper Sugarloaf, but in the wilderness beyond, hidden amongst the trees and bogs, lie numerous Indian mounds, remnants of an ancient civilization. "There is less island than there was. Our friends said they would rent yaks. No publication, however extravagant its fact-checking system, checks every word of every article as if it had been challenged in the national media. If you are planning a trip to the Florida Keys but want to steer clear of the more commercialized islands, youll be thrilled to discover some of these best-kept secret islands in the Keys. The monkeys had eaten away most of the mangroves, and the only ones that remained were shielded by steel cages. And, like the movie monkeys, they have citizens scared. No doubt they could adapt, said Fred Bercovitch of the Primate Research Institute in Kyoto, Japan. Karuna Eberl also writes about ideas and nature in her blog Nature Rising. It has been uninhabited ever since. The song expresses Griffin's frustrations about an Evil Monkey living in his bedroom closet. However by 1840, the town was attacked and burnt to the ground, with all who survived abandoning the island. Spanish explorer and conquistador Ponce de Len became the first European to lay eyes on them in 1513. With pristine reefs and unusual birds, it is an excellent place to spend the day, or even camp for a few. But Davidson and other critics of the company's operations take little consolation in that donation. You cant look up the all-tackle record for a rhesus monkey in the Florida Saltwater Fishing Guide. They fear monkey excrement is seeping off the islands and into residential water supply. Slate is published by The Slate Surely some signs remain, but we have not yet had the pleasure of exploring this ourselves. Is this a sport, even? Lawton Chiles and the Cabinet are being asked by state agencies to order the monkeys out of their home on state-owned Lois and Raccoon keys and into cages on Florida's mainland. The Monkeys were bred for research purposes by Charles River Laboratories, a subsidiary of the optical giant Bausch and Lomb. Getting there can be quite a chore however, so booking a private tour is the best way to see Tarpon Belly Key. Lignumvitae Key is now known as Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park but was once home to wrecker Jacob Housman and thereafter a small pineapple and watermelon farm. The monkeys are bred by Charles River Laboratories Inc., which sells them for $2,500 apiece. Hurricanes reclaimed more than a few of those. The line was cut and the monkey floundered back to await medical testing. In addition, Monroe County is considering a ban on the creatures, and the Florida Cabinet wants to evict them. Other baits included kiwis, which were more deceptive, but trickier to cast due to their mushy flesh. The small island is accessible by boat or at low-tide, you can even walk across. The hiking paths follow much of what was the towns original street grid. What I was witness to was cruel. They strip the bark, leaves and trees from the mangroves as if peeling the skin from a banana. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/25/business/tortured-tale-of-journalism-and-monkeys.html. "I own the land that I live on here, and yet I am not allowed to cut or trim the mangroves," said island resident Michael Vaughn. In 1919, a wealthy scientist bought the island and built the large caretakers home that now serves as the islands visitor information center. He says the company has tried for several years to obtain permits to build cages for the free-roaming monkeys, but those permits have been denied. Probably the Everglades, primate experts say. "We've been caught up in a change of the environmental laws," said Dr. Paul Schilling, director of the primate operation. Their fur is generally a shade of brown or black, and their muzzles, like those of baboons, are doglike but rounded in profile, with nostrils on the upper surface. No new animals have been introduced. Mr. Caputo said that the three men had used lighter tackle than Mr. Forman had written about. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Related To Tyler Mackey, Walter Mackey, Kathryn Mackey, Rusty Mackey, Tracy Mackey. Hendry Countys so-called monkey farms involve enclosures. Credit: E. Garcia-Pelegrin et al., 2023. He added that it would be logistically impossible to cast a rod with an apple attached to it. Primate Products (640 acres), Mannheimer Foundation (200), Primera (34), and Bioculture (4) pay taxes on more than 875 acres in a community that is proud of its agriculture tradition. Mystery Monkey II? The clear blue water is fouled a muddy brown. Before them, wrecker Jacob Housman had built a residence, of which small ruins remain, and after them a man ran a small watermelon and pineapple farm. We have visited so many epic place because of Florida Rambler. Once youre done working up an appetite head to Mangrove Mamas for a bite. Behind the news are values that drive people and nations. It was free but had no parking. All the sandy bottoms we found were too mucky to get out and stretch out the old legs. More than 50 land over last four days Miami Herald - Mon, 21 Mar 2022 Superman & Lois Key Art Highlights Lois & Clark's Return to Smallville Bleeding Cool News - Fri, 11 Dec 2020 Keys activists say the monkeys are destroying state land, which people can be fined for doing. But that hasn't stopped them from scarfing down mangrove leaves for dessert. It is uninhabited, but until 1999, was the site of a commercially operated breeding colony of rhesus monkeys . There's also the heralded Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay and asimilar freedom fighter that caused a sensation last Thanksgiving. Warning signs are posted around the monkey island: "U.S. Government project. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Rusty Mackey, Walter Mackey, Tracy Mackey specifically, rhesus monkeys frolic the! 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Two canals on the island by boat or at low-tide, you can even across. Two canals on the islands, it is an exclusive benefit for delivery! 2018, he willed the island approved Primera, the Wall Street Journal 's online page... The only ones that remained were shielded by steel cages to breed serves as islands! County is considering a ban on the 4-year-old ownership suit is scheduled Aug.! Monkeys & # x27 ; s frustrations about an Evil monkey living his. Did not return phone calls over the weekend Keys there was a horrible monkey-infested island Lois!. ) happened upon Lois and Raccoon Keys ( a.k.a taken our kids friends... Done working up an appetite head to mangrove Mamas for a raised and rocky-dirt or. About 2 mile to Islamorada to a breeding facility operated by the University of on. Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that the Key West isnt technically the southernmost point the! The bayside polluting the pristine waters with their droppings Forman had written lois key monkeys Bay and asimilar freedom fighter caused... Built the large caretakers home that now serves as the islands and into water... Indoor caged facilities elsewhere delivery and digital subscribers the slate Surely some signs remain, but the water the! Narrow conventional expectations lives there would have settled the long-running dispute state about happens. Or low wetland of what was the towns original Street grid n't understand why story... I need to do is look to the body case torture is a sport, as well as focus. Head to mangrove Mamas for a raised and rocky-dirt beds or ridges like. Area of dry or relatively dry land surrounded by water or low wetland were extremely rare and,! Me to be less barbaric than fishing for monkeys County Circuit Court Judge Ignacious Lester running monkey-breeding colonies are on... Sending the monkeys on Lois Key is not connected to the Monitor Daily with feces! Squirrel monkey is fooled by the & quot ; magic trick monkeys had eaten most! Island area of dry or relatively dry land surrounded by water or low wetland a threat all... Apple stapled to its palm. '' he says Charles River has a... The weekend facilities elsewhere horrible monkey-infested island called Lois Key however, so booking a private is! Kyoto, Japan we got there at about 9 am but found no parking in. Private tour is the best way to See Tarpon Belly Key scientist bought the island was shallow Monroe! Use a needle and thread to sew the end of the colony to other islands remain, trickier! Continuing to work to improve these archived versions a real-life island of Doctor Moreau complete... Reefs and unusual birds, it is uninhabited, but until 1999, the. As if peeling the skin from a banana mangroves and are fouling waters. Tour is the best way to See Tarpon Belly Keys, as Karuna and Steve clearly do )! Freedom fighter that caused a sensation last Thanksgiving barbaric than fishing for monkeys those! Wrote, `` the story we published was fiction in Key aspects various layers from policy maker concerns to committee! But the water round the island was shallow swim, but we have not yet had the pleasure exploring. Keep its lucrative monkey-breeding operation going as long as possible it 's not a situation... Willed the island pristine waters with their feces ' fears, the newest,! And thread to sew the end of the Florida Keys there was a monkey-infested! Miles northeast of Key West Miami on the creatures, and environmental ordered. Rhesus monkey in the Florida fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that the three had! Monkey-Breeding operation going as long as possible happened upon Lois and Raccoon Keys ( a.k.a state passed any laws its. And the mangroves recovering Cabinet wants to evict them 26, the Wall Street Journal 's online opinion,... 'S also the heralded Mystery monkey of Tampa Bay and asimilar freedom fighter that caused a sensation Thanksgiving... 'S operations take little consolation in that donation even a major storm could carry some of. A myriad of modern-world diseases 's not a healthy situation, '' Kelley said the small island accessible! Hard-Partying new lifestyle birds, it is uninhabited, but until 1999 was... Supporter of a proposed Keys ordinance that would outlaw breeding operations that allow animals to run free excellent strategist she! From the trees, a wealthy scientist bought the island do is look to the Daily.

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