Vervet Monkeys at Campsites: How They Think and How to Coexist
Vervet monkeys are a common sight at campsites across South Africa. With their black faces, grey fur, and sharp intelligence, they can be both entertaining and challenging. These primates are not malicious – they operate with different instincts, priorities, and “thinking” patterns than humans.
Introduction
If you camp regularly in South Africa, you’ve likely had an encounter with vervet monkeys. They are skilled foragers that have adapted to take advantage of human food sources. To manage them effectively, campers need to understand that vervets don’t think like people. They don’t share our emotions, values, or sense of property.
They don’t “hate” campers or try to be destructive. They simply see campsites as reliable, easy sources of food. Humans are neither predators nor friends – they are obstacles or competitors. Once you understand this, you can adjust your behaviour to prevent raids without hostility.
Understanding Vervet Monkeys
Vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) are intelligent, highly social primates that live in troops of up to 50 individuals. They thrive across much of South Africa, particularly in bushveld, savanna, riverine forests, and coastal areas.
In their natural environment, their diet consists of fruits, flowers, seeds, insects, and occasionally bird eggs. Around campsites, however, they’ve discovered a much easier food source: human supplies. Their intelligence and adaptability have made them expert opportunists in human-dominated spaces.
They are active during the day, especially in the mornings and late afternoons, which often coincides with campers preparing meals—exactly when raids are most likely to occur.
How Vervets View Humans and Food
A key difference between humans and vervet monkeys lies in perception:
- Not enemies, not friends: Vervets don’t see campers as threats or authority figures. To them, you’re just another competitor at the “food table.”
- Opportunistic feeders: They are constantly scanning for easy, high-calorie food sources. Campsites offer regular access with minimal risk.
- Sharp memory and observation: Once a vervet successfully raids a tent or cooler box, it remembers exactly how it gained access and will return. They watch campers carefully to learn habits, meal times, and weak points in food storage.
This is why a single lapse – such as leaving a bag of bread on the table – can teach an entire troop that your campsite is easy pickings.
The Reality of Monkey Raids
Never underestimate vervet monkeys. They are strong, fast, and highly coordinated. A determined troop can clear out an unguarded picnic table or tent in minutes.
They have learned to:
- Unzip tents
- Open cooler boxes and twist bottle caps
- Pull open containers and bins
- Work in groups, with one distracting and others grabbing food
When vervets become habituated to human food, they lose their natural wariness. This can lead to more aggressive behaviour, such as grabbing food from hands or entering tents and vehicles.
Though vervets are not usually dangerous, they have sharp teeth and can bite if they feel cornered or if food is involved. Children are particularly vulnerable because they may misread monkey warning signals.
How Vervet Monkeys “Think”
Understanding their mental framework helps explain why certain human behaviours backfire.
1. Food First
Vervets focus on the quickest, safest way to access food. Eye contact, shouting, or waving are assessed only for immediate risk – not moral meaning.
2. Campers as Obstacles
They don’t dislike you. If you block their access to food, they’ll use distraction, speed, or intimidation to overcome the obstacle. It’s nothing personal.
3. No Ownership Concepts
Food lying on a table isn’t “yours” to them. It’s part of the environment, like a fruiting tree.
4. Learned Tactics
Vervets learn from observation. They watch how humans open boxes and doors, then imitate. Techniques spread through the troop over time.
5. No Human Emotions
They don’t feel guilt for taking food, nor gratitude if given some. Feeding them doesn’t build trust – it teaches them to expect more.
Why Feeding Them Causes Long-Term Problems
Even a single instance of feeding vervets – intentional or accidental – can have lasting consequences. When they start associating people with food, they become:
- Bolder: Approaching people directly for food.
- More aggressive: Taking food from hands or entering vehicles.
- Persistent: Returning daily and teaching others.
This learned behaviour spreads rapidly within troops and is extremely difficult to reverse. In some parks, aggressive monkeys have to be relocated or euthanised – outcomes that stem from humans feeding them.
How to Protect Your Campsite
The golden rule is simple: never leave food unattended, even for a moment.
Secure Storage
- Lock all food, toiletries, and scented items in a vehicle or hard-sided container.
- Monkeys are attracted to soap, toothpaste, sunscreen, and even chewing gum.
- If you don’t have a vehicle, keep locked containers inside your tent only when you’re present.
Stay Vigilant During Meals
- Assign someone to keep watch while others cook or eat.
- Vervets often wait quietly in trees, observing and timing their moves.
- Early mornings and late afternoons are peak activity times.
Keep Tents Sealed
- Always zip tents fully, even for quick absences.
- A small opening is enough for a monkey to get inside and tear through bags.
Manage Rubbish Properly
- Use monkey-proof bins when available.
- If not, store rubbish in your vehicle until disposal.
- Never leave scraps in open fires or bush.
Don’t Feed Them
Feeding vervet monkeys is not only dangerous – it can result in fines in many parks. It also creates aggressive animals that endanger future campers.
What to Do During an Encounter
If vervet monkeys approach your campsite:
- Stand your ground. Make yourself appear larger, clap hands, and use a firm voice.
- Do not run or turn your back, as this may encourage bolder behaviour.
- Maintain eye contact without aggressive staring.
If a monkey grabs food, let it go. Trying to retrieve it risks bites and injuries. If a monkey displays threatening behaviour – such as showing teeth, lunging, or vocalising – back away slowly while facing it. Do not corner the animal or make sudden moves.
Respecting Wildlife
Campsites are often built within vervet habitat. These monkeys lived in these areas long before campers arrived. Their raids are not acts of defiance but adaptations to new opportunities.
By practising secure storage, vigilance, and firm boundaries, campers can protect their food and belongings without harming or disrupting wildlife. A calm, consistent approach benefits both people and monkeys.
Conclusion
Vervet monkeys are clever, resourceful primates with their own way of understanding the world. They don’t share human emotions or property concepts. At campsites, they see food – not rules, not ownership.
Understanding that vervet monkeys are driven by instinct and a desire for survival, rather than human emotions, allows us to appreciate them for the fascinating creatures they are while also taking appropriate measures to protect our food and their natural behaviors.
By being prepared and responsible, we can ensure that our encounters with these charming primates remain a memorable and positive part of our South African camping adventure.
Educate others about monkeys: Share this understanding with fellow campers, especially children.
Read how Vervet Monkeys use their senses to understand better how they function.