When you come to Barbados, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for our most famous resident, the Barbados Green Monkey.
These monkeys were originally brought over during the slave trade some 350 years ago from Gambia and other regions of West Africa as pets.
So much time has passed and our environment is different enough that evolution has occurred, making these monkeys truly our own. We can legitimately call them the Barbados Green Monkey because you will not find them naturally existing anywhere else in the world and they are actually, funnily enough, green.
The monkeys have a thick coat of fur, which is generally a brownish grey colour, but, as though they've spent hours in the salon, the monkeys have highlights of yellow and green that makes their overall appearance green in colour.
The babies, however, tend to appear blue because it takes quite a while for the thick fur to grow and cover their flesh.
The females are quite maternal, carrying their young on their bellies or chest, constantly covered by one protecting arm.
As they age, the babies will go off on their own, away from their mothers until it is time to relocate or in the case of danger.
The best place to see the monkeys in their natural habitat would be while sightseeing at the Barbados Wildlife Reserve, however, the monkeys are quite rampant throughout the island and more so the further you go from the towns and busy areas.
The Barbados Green Monkey is undeniably cute and naturally inquisitive, but they do pose a serious threat to the agriculture of our island. They are famous for picking at crop, especially fruit, and they will steal a piece of fruit, take one bite and discard it for a new piece, quickly making their way through the entire crop.
Farmers have to take precautions from the monkeys as they do prove to be incredible pests and can sometimes get quite aggressive. They are famous for antagonizing dogs and breaking license plates, but, like most animals, if you don't trouble them, they won't trouble you.
It has been said that there are anywhere between five and seven thousand Green Monkeys currently on the island. We are pleased to share our island home with them and are looking forward to many generations of happy cohabitation. |
