(no subject)

In memory of Arthur Hunt

Arthur Hunt set up the VMF in 1993 alongside Dave DuToit. Together they built up the foundation, played a mojor role in getting the Vervet Monkey taken off the vermin list and worked to educate the South African community to respect the species. He died yesturday on 18th Febuary.

He clashed heads with many volunteers about his methods and opinions (including me many many times). And he certainly had some strange ideas about the state of the world and how it all came about.

But anyone that has seen him enter sickbay with a bag of jelly beans to treat his faveourite patients, seen him sit with monkeys that would rip anyone else entering the cage to peices and just talk to them,can't hold his methods against him. His heart was in the right place. And the monkeys were the most important part of his life. Without him there would be no VMF, and all those monkeys would be dead or dying in misrable condictions.

He was a crazy crazy man, but he did good.

(no subject)

Wanted to keep this post seperate from the one below.

Don't really know what's going to be going on at VMF now... theres likely a power struggle type thing going on. When i was there I rarely saw Dave with the monkeys, he kept the money in order and kept things running smoothly, but I remember being shocked when he occasionally ventured down to see the monkeys. So I can't imagaine things going through him the way they did through Arthur. He goes to work all day for a start... And I also can't see many of the long termers making the transition too well either... they'll be some fighting for what happens now. Josie is in all the time but shes quite ill, so thats not practical.

People knew how to work with Arthur. How to either word things right to get him to agree or to do it under the radar...

Hopefully the monkeys will win out. Hopefully...