No more monkey business: Vasectomies for primates

[April 17, 2009]  SAO PAULO (AP) -- 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 parks' monkey population has grown to about 170 in recent months, and project head Marize Moreira said Thursday 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.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.