Construction began Monday on a sanctuary for the vervet monkeys of Dania Beach, a wild colony whose ancestors escaped from a breeding farm in the 1940s.
Workers began clearing space in a swampy forest wedged between Port Everglades and Fort Lauderdale airport, where the first enclosure will house monkeys who have become a weird and beloved part of the neighborhood.
About 45 monkeys live in the dense shadowy forest, darting from tree to tree, grooming each other and begging for handouts of fruit and peanuts. The initial enclosure will house only two, but there are plans for expansion.
