Monkeys Infected With Herpes On The Loose In Florida
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) (2013 Getty Images)
Florida has some monkey business to deal with that is becoming a real problem.
It all started in the 30s, when a tour guide, Colonel Tooey, brought a rare breed of wild monkeys to the Silver River Wildlife park. The breed has grown to include over 1,000 monkeys and now hundreds are now running wild and carrying the herpes virus with them.
According to state officials who spoke with the New York Post, many of the 700 wild monkeys caught in the past decade have tested positive for the Herpes B virus.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Despite being a popular attraction for park visitors to see, officials are now considered the monkeys could pose a public health hazard.
While the monkeys were trapped on an island near the wildlife park, they learned to swim over the years and have since been spotted hundreds of miles away.
Even though there have been no reports of incidents involving the Rhesus monkeys and humans, British wildlife photographer Graham McGeorge recommends that if you happen to come upon the disease-carrying critters, “like any other wild animal you need to give them space.”
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