MONKEY BUSINESS

To the vet they'll be tripped.
At the office they'll be snipped.
Enough monkeys is quite enough.
For these boys 'twill be rough
Being thereafter unequipped.


The Roanoke Times, 21 April 2009:

BRAZIL

Officials hope to snip monkey overpopulation

SAO PAULO -- The monkey business is about to end for some Brazilian primates."

"Health officials in the central city of Goiania plan to perform vasectomies on 25 wild, urban-dwelling monkeys to keep their population in check and control disease."

"They're looking to catch male Capuchin monkeys in three city parks, each of which has about eight female mates. The animals will be netted, snipped and released."

"The monkey population in the parks has grown to about 170 in recent months, and project head Marize Moreira said some have been found to carry yellow fever."

"Sick monkeys can't pass the disease directly to humans, but mosquitoes that bite infected monkeys can transmit it."