Following In The Tradition Of Mel's Moose

High-wire act drives locals bananas

By JENNY YUEN

No, they haven't escaped from the zoo, only from the imagination of a local high school English teacher.

Those stuffed apes – 15 of 'em – doing a high-wire act on Cambridge Avenue cable lines in a kind of performance art piece are John Turner's creation.

Some of them dangle by their hands and feet; one is brave enough to swing one-handed.

Says Turner, "People always ask how they get up on the wire. Obviously, they climb up the posts."

The chimpanzee craze began two years ago. Kids in the 'hood donate the toys. The brown tropical monkeys and koala bear head south to Costa Rica in October and resurface in the summer months. The only exceptions are the colony of lemurs and the Japanese snow monkeys that brave the elements year-round.

Like magic, the monkeys change positions every Friday night. Sadly, Midnight Montana, a black plush one, was recently stolen.

A notice in front of Turner's home also changes weekly: it could be a haiku, riddle, news about baby monkeys or, this week, photographs of the primates on vacation in Tanzania.

He invites kids and grown-ups to donate limericks. It's his way, he says, of getting the community involved.

But not all his neighbours think the cuddly monkey business is cute. His weekly postings are often ripped down.

Molly Belcham, who lives a few doors up the street, says the fun and games are "damn stupid and childish.

"You look out the door and you see these bloody monkeys."

Last year, someone attempted to take the monkeys down using hedge clippers before calling Hydro One. After determining that the wires belonged to Rogers, a repair person came out to investigate.

"We told him it was for the kids," says Turner.

Rogers says the company discourages placing ladders against cables or hanging anything on them that could cause service disruptions.

Says Rogers spokesperson Taanta Gupta, "Perhaps people might consider placing the monkeys in trees?"

Danielle Candusso, another local, says the display keeps area residents engaged. "It gets people to stop and talk to each other, something that they don't always do."

Turner predicts that the whimsical rascals could very well infiltrate other parts of the city. "We might have a whole colony of monkeys. You never know."