The Squatters

When we moved in to the house three years ago we were looking forward to the tranquility and peace that large open spaces offer.  It took around twenty four hours for us to discover that we were not alone and that we would be sharing our tranquility with some very distant relatives.   We awoke that first morning to clattering footsteps across the roof followed by a chattering on the deck outside our bedroom window.  There is nothing quite like coming face to face with a tiny black face pressed up against the glass when you are half asleep.  It appeared that we had squatters.  Three to be exact.  These little Cape vervet monkeys for some reason feel safe in our back garden and had moved in.  

The monkeys arrive every morning as the first rays of sun hit the pepper tree.  They spend the morning there and disappear around lunch time only to return in the late afternoon.  Every year they go missing for two weeks at the end of summer and come back with a new addition to the family.  We are now up to six squatters of varying sizes.  For the most part they dont bother us and we leave them to their own devices.  We keep the dogs in while they are around and we never feed them.  I had to add that bit in as the first thing people ask us is if we fed them to keep them around.  They do enjoy any birdseed that I put out but judging by the size of the pigeons that is not a problem.

It is wonderful having nature so close to the house and they have been very considerate in selecting the tree right in front of the wing-backs as they playground of choice. We get a bird's eye view of their antics as the sun comes up.  After finding one sitting in the kitchen sink when I got home one day we keep now keep windows closed and have not had a repeat of that episode.  We are always aware of how dangerous they could be and regardless of how cute they may appear they are still wild and should be respected as such.