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A rapidly breeding monkey species carrying a rare and deadly form of herpes could put humans at risk as the population grows.
At least 300 rhesus macaques live in Silver Spring State Park in central Florida. The monkeys, which are native to south and southeast Asia, have become the big attraction at the park.
But experts said the species is rapidly breeding and could double in population within five years.
The increase of the monkeys could put people at risk, according to a recently released study in the journal Wildlife Management.
About 30 percent of the species carries the rare and deadly herpes B virus. While it is rare for it to spread from monkeys to humans, when it does happen, humans can be put at risk, the report says.
Herpes B can cause inflammation of the brain and spinal cord and also could lead to brain damage or death.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that saliva and other body fluids carry the virus, which can aid in its ability to spread.
About 1,000 monkeys were trapped and removed between 1984 and 2012 in an effort to reduce the population, the study says. But the practice was ended “due to extensive public controversy.”
Since then, no population management plan has been implemented.
The animals can be problematic, experts said.
“They aren’t as afraid of humans as other animals, and they can be pretty nasty,” Erin Riley, an anthropologist who studies human-animal interactions at San Diego State University, told National Geographic.
In recent years, the monkeys have caused issues inside the park and outside of it. Male monkeys also have been found upwards of 100 miles away from the park in Sarasota and Tallahassee.
Riley found that in addition to their regular herbivorous diet, the monkeys also were being fed by humans.
Researchers have documented 50 human cases of herpes B, but none are suspected to be from macaques.
In one case, a research assistant died after bodily fluids from a monkey made contact with one of her eyes.
At least some who live nearby are OK with the monkeys.
“These monkeys have been here 80 years, and they didn’t choose to come here, so I don’t think it’s fair for us to get rid of them because we don’t like them anymore,” Debbie Walters, who works as a guide with a tour boat company, told National Geographic. “A lot of other animals cause disease, and we don’t kill them.”
In a statement earlier this year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission demanded a population management plan be put into place.
“Without management action, the presence and continued expansion of non-native rhesus macaques in Florida can result in serious human health and safety risks including human injury and transmission of disease,” Thomas Eason, assistant executive director of the commission, said in a statement, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
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