A viral video showing people preparing green monkeys for cooking has reignited debate over how the island manages its growing monkey population, with a regional agricultural official urging residents to seek guidance on the matter from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) Country Representative Christina Pooler told Barbados TODAY she was not in a position to say whether green monkeys could serve as a viable protein source for Barbados.
“Most I can essentially say is recommend going through the right channels with the Ministry of Agriculture,” she said when asked about the video and whether monkey meat could become another source of meat.
“I can’t say for sure if the green monkeys that we have, is a viable source for protein for the population.”
Instead, she pointed to the long-standing impact that monkey troops continue to have on agriculture, saying farmers should seek official assistance in managing the issue.
“At this point, all I can really say is that in terms of the effects that the monkeys have on farmers and their agricultural production, I would recommend that person contact the Ministry of Agriculture so that they can humanely manage the monkeys within the different farming districts,” she said.
Pooler also acknowledged she was not well versed in the practice of consuming monkey meat.
“I can’t really expand on the practice because I’m not well versed in that particular area,” she said, though adding that “in other countries, monkeys are used for research purposes”.
“However, I can’t say for sure if it’s viable, and I don’t know if I can recommend that,” she added.
Green monkeys, also known as vervets, have long been officially regarded as agricultural pests in Barbados due to the significant damage they cause to fruit and root crops. Successive administrations have implemented control measures, including licensed culling, trapping and bounty programmes, alongside habitat management initiatives such as planting fruit trees in gullies to reduce farm incursions. Farmers have consistently called for stronger action as monkey populations and related losses have increased.
Monkey control has been a contentious issue for years, particularly among farmers who have repeatedly complained about crop losses to the animals. In March 2024, the then agriculture minister, Indar Weir, told parliament that the government was seeking a “controlled, well-organised” approach to managing the monkey population rather than “loosely shooting monkeys”.
At the time, Weir said licensed hunters were being allowed to cull monkeys on farms and orchards under strict conditions, while the ministry also restarted a fruit tree planting programme in gullies to provide food sources for the animals.
(LE)
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