Cats help monkeys fend off rats in zoo
Ma Chi
Cats and monkeys have turned out to make good roommates at a zoo in Kunming, Southwest China Yunnan province.
Cats and monkeys have turned out to make good roommates at a zoo in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan province, the Chuncheng Evening News reported on Tuesday.
Zookeepers turned to the feral felines when a rat infestation began causing problems in the monkey enclosure about three years ago.
The vermin stole food from monkeys, spread disease and displeased visitors, zookeeper Wang Ang said.
Wang said the rats bred quickly as a result of the abundance of food provided to the monkeys by zookeepers and tourists. Living in small holes on the monkey hill, the rats proved hard to deal with.
Zookeepers tried pouring water down their holes and hitting them with brooms and catapults, but it made little difference.
They also considered poisoning the rats but were worried about harming the monkeys.
Two years ago, the zoo introduced two stray cats, but they proved unwelcome guests and were killed by the monkeys.
The zoo tried again, upping the number of cats to seven. Again the monkeys bullied their new roommates at the beginning, but, this time, the two sides gradually learnt to live peacefully together.
According to Wang, the monkeys even made room for their guests in one of the rooms set up for the monkeys, and they would pick flees from the cats during the day.
The monkey enclosure is now almost completely free of rats, said the keeper.
With new kittens born, the number of cats living on monkey hill has risen to 12.
