Vervet Monkey Hunting In Africa

The vervet monkey is a medium to large-sized black-faced monkey that can reach 30 miles per hour as it gallops on all fours. They are omnivores that feed on leaves, shoots and fruits, amongst others, while enjoying insects, eggs, and grubs. They are most active during the day and sleep in trees at night. Although it is not legal to hunt them in South Africa, vervet monkeys are a popular target for game hunters when hunting in Africa.

Vervet monkeys have established themselves throughout Eastern and Southern Africa, and they are known to inhabit bush, woodlands and savannah regions. They live in trees, in troops of up to 50 monkeys, eating, grooming and protecting each other. They are extremely fast-moving and run on all four legs, either on the ground or in trees. They leap from tree to tree and can quickly descend head first if needed.

Although vervet monkeys are omnivores, they eat mostly a vegetarian diet, including leaves and shoots, fruit, bulbs, grass seeds, and flowers. They supplement their diet with grubs, eggs, baby birds, insects, and even rabbits or hares.

Vervet monkeys have seasonal breeding patterns that may differ according to location, but mainly between April–June each year. Their gestation period is 163-165 days. Usually only one baby is born after the rainy season when food is readily available.

These little monkeys have four main predators, apart from man, namely leopards, eagles, pythons, and baboons. While vervet monkeys don’t readily attack people, they may become aggressive or bite in self-defence.