PUERTO RICO KILLS 800 MONKEY FOR DAMAGING CROPS

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Puerto Rican officials have killed 800 monkeys blamed for scavenging crops and damaging natural resources in the island's southwest region.

• Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Ana Maria Ramos says that 200 other monkeys captured in recent months have been relocated to the Caribbean Primate Research Center at the University of Puerto Rico and to other countries.
• Citing a statement from Fish and Wildlife Department Director Miguel Garcia, Ramos said Friday that most of those killed were patas monkeys, while those sent to the primate center were rhesus monkeys, which are used for scientific research. Garcia said the monkeys were killed in a humane way, but did not elaborate.
• The monkeys escaped from research labs in the 1960s and '70s.

Source: AP