Vervet Monkeys are amongst the most misunderstood, maligned and persecuted of animals in South Africa.  Here in KwaZulu-Natal, Monkey Helpline rescues an average of three to five monkeys every day.  They are victims of pellet (air-) gun shootings (X-rays show that over eighty percent of rescued monkeys have got lead or steel pellets lodged in their bodies), being run over as they cross roads, attacks by dogs, electrocution on high voltage power lines and transformers, deliberate and accidental poisoning, being caught in traps and snares or illegally hunted for "bush meat" and "muti", and more.

In their individual capacity Vervet Monkeys receive no meaningful protection in municipal, provincial and national conservation and animal welfare legislation.  Persecution of Vervet Monkeys gets no attention from the authorities and it is only those who take measures to rescue, care for and protect them from persecution and harm who are of interest to the authorities, and then only in the form of harassment.

Efforts to rescue and care for sick, injured and orphaned Vervet Monkeys gets no support from the authorities and constant calls for Vervet Monkeys to be culled, this due to public ignorance about these animals and their needs, are supported by the mere fact that the authorities show so little interest in the plight of these animals.  The relevant local and provincial authorities and the NSPCA can make a huge difference in the lives of these highly intelligent, socially complex little animals whose ancestral homes have been colonised by humans with little or no regard for their well being.  

The Vervets need well funded educational efforts, protective legislation and visible support for community-based organisations who are currently all that stands between the Vervet Monkeys and their extinction in many of the territories that they so tenuously cling to in their fight for survival!