Monkeys sexuallly harrass women farmers, throw rocks, tear down scarecrows, and have monkey patrols to scout out targets and enemies

A troop of vervet monkeys are "running ape" in a Kenyan village. 300 monkeys are daily invading farms at dawn. They eat the village's corn, potatoes, beans and other crops. Women do the farming in Kenya, and have become the monkeys' targets as they try to guard their crops.

"The monkeys grab their breasts, and gesture at us while pointing at their private parts" - Villager Lucy Njeri

Some of the monkeys throw stones to chase the women from their farms. Women in the village of Nachu wear their husbands' clothes to make the monkeys think they are men. No cigar: "The monkeys can tell the difference and they don't run away from us and point at our breasts. They just ignore us and continue to steal the crops." The women also say the monkeys make sexually explicit gestures. "The monkeys grab their breasts, and gesture at us while pointing at their private parts. We are afraid that they will sexually harass us," said Mrs Njeri.

The Kenyan Wildlife Service told the BBC that it was not unusual for monkeys to harass women and be less afraid of them than men, but they had never heard of monkeys in Kenya making sexually explicit gestures before when communicating with humans.

Things are so messed up that the farming community is now receiving famine relief food. The residents report that the monkeys have killed livestock and guard dogs, which leaves them spooked about their children also becoming targets. "The troop has scouts which keep a lookout from a vantage point, and when they see us coming, they give warning signals to the ones in the farms to get away," said another area resident, Jacinta Wandaga.

The Kenya Wildlife Service has ordered residents not to harm or kill any of the monkeys--it is a criminal offence. Some residents have lost hope and abandoned their homes and farms, but those who have stayed behind, like 80-year-old James Ndungu, are making a desperate plea for assistance. "I beg you, please come and take these animals away from here so that we can farm in peace."

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