Yes, there are wild monkeys in South Florida. Now, some want Florida to call them a native species.

A decades-old population of vervet monkeys living near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport could become the focus of an effort to change how Florida classifies the animals, potentially allowing injured monkeys to be treated and returned to the wild.

The monkeys have lived in mangroves near the airport for nearly 80 years after escaping from a South Florida medical testing lab and zoo in the 1940s.

David Blewitt has lived on the edge of the mangroves for decades.

"I've seen them many, many times," he said. "They came over looking for bananas. They're like little kids holding their hands up for an allowance."

Missy Williams, who runs the Dania Beach monkey sanctuary, is now asking whether the longtime residents should be reclassified as native to Florida.

"It would be interesting just to see if our followers would be on board with possibly wanting them to be grandfathered in as a native species in the state of Florida," Williams said.

She is posing the question on social media to gauge public support. A change in classification could affect how the monkeys are treated when they are injured.

"We do have permits to be able to actually treat them," Williams said. "Once trapped, we can't release them. That's because they're considered a non-native species. If they are considered a native species, we'd be able to trap, treat, and release them back to their family group," she said.

Could Florida's vervet monkeys be reclassified as native?

According to Williams, just under three dozen vervet monkeys remain in the area.

"These animals are considered just non-native. They haven't spread from the area they were introduced to. The population is very small. Matter of fact, it's actually shrinking, and there seems to be no notable damage to the surrounding ecosystem," Williams said.

But Ron Magill of the Zoo Miami Foundation strongly opposes the idea of reclassifying the monkeys as native.

"It is an absolute Pandora's box waiting to be opened," Magill said.

"South Florida is the Ellis Island of non-native species. Everything comes into here. What happens is, if that happens in New York, if it happens in Michigan during the first winter, those animals are gone. They don't survive. In Florida, it's like being introduced to Club Med. They not only survive, they thrive, and then they become a real problem," he said.

Magill said he is concerned that if the population grows, the monkeys could spread disease and have other unforeseen effects.

"No one loves wildlife, no one loves animals more than I do, and it's because of that I want to protect our native wildlife. I want to protect our ecosystems," Magill said.

Williams stressed that she is only testing the waters for now to determine whether there is public support for the idea.

She said she will then consider whether to petition the state for a change in the monkeys' classification.