Vervet Monkeys - The Least Concern Primates

Vervet monkeys are charismatic, clever, and endearing. Many tourists who have visited reserves and National Parks in sub Saharan Africa must have encountered them at a picnic table or in tourist lodge causing mischief, stealing food and being generally pesky.

They are very adaptable. They eat pretty much anything and can be found in all kinds of habitats throughout sub-Saharan Africa so long as there is sufficient water and appropriate sleeping trees. Their vocalisations are famous. Their semi-arboreal nature and the complexity of their calls have been the basis of many an evolution and anthropology study.

7 month old male infant vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)
by Aoife Healy (Website author)

They are notorious crop-raiders, considered to be pests at the best and vermin at the worst in much of their range. Their adaptability leads them to trouble when it comes to living alongside humans so these clever monkeys have ended up on the frontline of human-wildlife conflict. They get shot by farmers, hit by cars, bitten by dogs. This is the lot of the non-human primate who manages to adapt to a human dominated landscape.

They are not considered to be of much importance in the field of conservation though orphaned and ex-pet monkeys pour into sanctuaries in a world of increasing human development.

Have a look around if you feel like learning a bit more about non-human primates, conservation, vervet monkeys, and the predicament they now find themselves in...