Warning: Graphic content

GEORGE NEWS - A baby vervet monkey died an excruciating death after being shot in the head with a pellet gun.

The monkey was shot late afternoon on Wednesday 7 May at a residential property in Bo-Langvlei Road, Rondevlei (near Wilderness), triggering investigations by the SPCA and Cape Nature that could result in criminal charges against the shooter.

Following a post-mortem autopsy, the Garden Route SPCA's George branch manager, Sue Noakes, confirmed the monkey was a four to six month old female and died from a pellet gun shot to the left back side of the head. She said a pellet was found lodged behind the right eyeball, 7cm in from the entry wound.

She confirmed the SPCA will open a case against the shooter in terms of the Animal Protection Act No 71 of 1962 and will request the SAPS to add charges in terms of the Firearms Control Act.

Discharging a firearm, including an air gun, in a residential area is illegal and punishable by up to five years' imprisonment.

According to the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000, Section 120, paragraph seven, it is an offence to discharge a firearm, an antique firearm or an air gun in a built-up area or any public place, without good reason to do so.

The courts take contraventions of the Animal Protection Act equally seriously. In February this year, the Durban Magistrate's Court convicted a man accused of dumping two kittens on the side of a busy road of animal cruelty. He was fined R1 000 or one month's imprisonment. 

A few years ago, IOL reported a Pinetown businessman accused of shooting a vervet monkey in his garden with a pellet gun, hitting it in the spine and leading to its eventual euthanasia by the SPCA, paid a R3 000 admission of guilt fine after pleading guilty to charges under the Animal Protection Act.

Cape Nature, in turn, will upon conclusion of its own investigation register a case with the police in terms of the Nature Conservation Ordinance 19 of 1974. These charges come with their own set of potential penalties, including both criminal and administrative sanctions.

A computer mouse next to the monkey's head puts the small size of the monkey in perspective. She was a four to six month old female.

Accidental discharge or targeted shooting?

Whether the Rondevlei primate was shot accidentally or on purpose remains subject to investigation.

While a resident, Pierre Duval, claims the monkey was baited and shot by his elderly neighbour, a 83-year-old pensioner, the latter insists the firearm was accidentally discharged while being cleaned.

Speaking on behalf of the pensioner, a family representative said he is "an old man who lives in harmony with nature and just wants to be left alone", and was traumatised by the ordeal. She said it was a sad, horrible and unintended incident.

A firearms expert told George Herald the pensioner's version of events was possible if the pellet gun had been loaded while being cleaned, the handler was not aware it was loaded and he accidentally pulled the trigger while cleaning it. 

However, the expert added not checking if the gun was loaded before commencing cleaning action was highly irresponsible.

Meanwhile, Duval said he saw his neighbour taking pot shots at the adult monkeys trying to help the baby monkey after it had been shot. Duval, who jumped over the wall onto his neighbour's property to try and rescue the injured monkey, describes a harrowing scene of despair, as what appeared to be the wounded monkey's mother followed him home while screaming for her baby. 

He said the baby monkey was still breathing in his hands when he arrived back home. When he wrapped it in a blanket to keep it warm, he discovered still unchewed corn kernels in its mouth. He said as the traumatised mother's hooting and howling continued into the night, the wounded animal died.

The SPCA collected the carcase the following day.

In the meantime, Duval and his neighbour each claim reciprocal hostile interactions, and the neighbour turned to the courts seeking a restraining order against Duval.

At the time of going to press, no police case had been registered yet.

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