Re: Natural Circle Gardens
Quote:
The monkeys are the worst BB
Now monkeys I
do have experience with from living in Venezuela.
My husband used to get the biggest kick out of the "mango monkey war" as he called it. We had beautiful mango trees in our yard in Eastern Venezuela. They produce fruit twice a year.
Red howler monkeys, capuchin and spider monkeys are all indigenous to Venezuela. The howlers, especially, love mangoes. Most of the year they eat leaves from various trees but in mango season they become crack heads! I don't know if there is something in mangos or whether it is from the fermenting fruit but howler monkeys will do anything for mangoes!
Don't know if you've ever heard an angry (or lustful) howler monkey but they are without a doubt the loudest creatures on God's Green Earth.
Being a newbie to life overseas, I had grandiose visions of homemade mango chutney that I could give as Christmas presents to friends and associates in country. I love chutney and mango chutney is the best, IMHO.
You can imagine my absolute surprise and horror when I awoke the first morning of mango season to find my trees literally covered in howler and spider monkeys!
It was out and out war! I tried everything I could think of from firecrackers to fake owls to fake snakes to hanging mirrors in the trees. Nothing worked! They laughed and threw mangoes at me!
Unfortunately, I totally lost my cool one day and began chunking mangoes back and saying some not very nice words in the process - right in front of the gardeners, my husband and some party guests.
It was ON! I swear those little buggers deliberately waited for me to come out of the house from then on.
They would peak out from the branches, wiggle their moustaches and begin howling and chunking mangos.
In the end, I bought mangos at the market to make my chutney.
Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. At least I had enough grace to retreat with what was left of my dignity!