On 31 October, the first infant was born on one of our three study troops. Since then we have had another 9 births and are still expecting a few more. Due to the drought, last year was tough on our infant cohort and, sadly, only 3 survived. However, because of the recent rain and the green flush, this year is looking more promising.

At about 1 month old, the infants are growing up fast. They have begun to start climbing, albeit a bit unstably, and their fur is changing from black to grey. They are also starting to interact more with other members of the troop through play. While they spend the vast majority of their time with their mothers, infants are often taken by other troop members too, particularly by female juveniles. They are usually reunited fairly quickly once the others lose interest.

We are keenly watching the development of this cohort and hoping that the better environmental conditions will help with their survival.

Until next time,

Rose and the Verveteers

The Vervet Monkey research project is a collaboration between a number of international universities. The project has been based at Samara Private Game Reserve in the Great Karoo since 2008. The aim of the project is to investigate the adaptations of these fascinating monkeys to climatic changes.

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