This April, we’re thrilled to welcome Belgian plant-based chef Yolan and his family to the Vervet Monkey Foundation 🌱🐒
Yolan is the co-owner and chef of Restaurant Lento, a vegan fine-dining restaurant in Hasselt, Belgium. His cooking celebrates seasonal vegetables, bold flavours, and creative plant-based cuisine. Yolan passionate about sharing how nourishing, beautiful, and satisfying plant-based food can be.
During their stay with us, Yolan will be cooking delicious, nourishing plant-based meals for our volunteers while spending time experiencing life here at the sanctuary. We’re excited to have him and his family as part of the VMF community for the month.
👉 Swipe to see some of his incredible dishes!
To celebrate this special visit, we’re offering 15% off volunteering at VMF for stays of 2–4 weeks during April. It’s the perfect time to join us, enjoy incredible plant-based meals, and be part of the important work we do caring for rescued vervet monkeys.
If you’ve been thinking about volunteering, April is the time! 💚
📩 Get in touch to learn more or book your spot.
#VervetMonkeyFoundation #PlantBased #Conservation #VeganCooking #VolunteerSouthAfrica
Skunkey Babies 🤍
Last week, our Skunkey babies were able to step out into the troop for the very first time - meeting the rest of their new family and climbing trees in their new home.
Each baby arrived with a different story. Sentinel and Aura’s mums were killed in road accidents, Terry was found alone near a coal mine, and Vlad had been kept as a pet.
Once a baby meets their foster mum, they spend time together in the IC. This allows their bond to grow and develop, while giving the babies time to reach at least three months old and build confidence climbing.
Then it’s time to enter their new world - the Skunkey troop.
Terry has been the most confident of the babies, while Vlad and Aura are still finding their feet.
Sentinel was released with the others, but the day after release we noticed something wasn’t right. He had very little energy and was falling from branches easily. We monitored him closely and made the decision to try to retrieve him for assessment.
The team went in to bring him out, but the mums were protective and carried him up into the trees. We stayed for hours until dark, with some of the team continuing to search until 9pm and again at 5am the next morning.
Eventually we were able to retrieve him and take him to the vets, where it was suspected that one of the falls had caused head trauma. Sadly, Sentinel passed away a couple of hours after the vet visit.
Even with all the love, care, observation and medical assessments, sometimes there are things happening that we simply cannot understand.
This is sometimes the reality of rehabilitation. Babies that have lost their mums too early have already experienced so much stress, grief and trauma, and sometimes this can have lasting effects on their bodies.
Sentinel made it back to troop. It wasn’t the forever we all fought so hard for, but he made it. He was given that second chance. He felt the warmth and love of a foster mother, was groomed, held, and accepted into a troop.
He will be deeply missed by everyone who worked for him, cared for him, and by the supporters around the world who followed his journey and hoped so deeply for his future 💔🐒
Mema is getting ready to meet her new family soon! After being a pet for so long, we’re so excited for her to begin this new chapter and the bright future ahead of her.
She still loves the camera and remains as photogenic as ever! 📸✨
Tongue Out Tuesday 😛
Salty is striking his best Tongue Out Tuesday pose!
Salty is currently with Wendell and foster mums Mara & Millie at the Holt & Barrington troop, and both boys are doing really well. It’s been lovely to see them settling in and enjoying their time together.
#toungeouttuesday #sanctuarylife #southafrica #monkey
🐒💚 Finding the right foster mum makes all the difference.
When Keith Mann was first introduced to Skylar, their connection was not the instant mother and baby bond we sometimes see. This is why it is so important that we carefully choose which foster mother may be the best fit for each orphan. Every introduction is done gently and always at their pace.
Just like humans, every mother has her own style. Some foster mums will immediately scoop them up and hold them close. Others prefer to let the babies come to them in their own time.
Skylar did a beautiful mix of both.
She could sense that Keith Mann needed love and reassurance, but she also understood how scared he was. She was patient and gently gave him space while still showing him he was safe with her.
Since being with Skylar, Keith Mann has absolutely flourished. Over the last few days we have watched their bond grow stronger and stronger and we even saw him under her belly. She grooms him and protects him. A huge milestone for a little one learning to trust again, learning to love again 🥹
We cannot wait for the day they join the troop together, but for now we will let them keep bonding and strengthening that special relationship. 💚
#VervetMonkeys #MonkeyRescue #WildlifeRehabilitation #PrimateCare #WildlifeConservation
🌸 Happy International Women’s Day! 🌸
We celebrate the incredible women who are part of our team. Every day, their dedication, compassion, and hard work help create a better life for the animals in our care and support the mission of wildlife rehabilitation.
To all the women making a difference in conservation, animal welfare, and beyond - today we celebrate you 🫶
#internationalwomensday #womeninwildlife
Mema 💝
Our 25th orphan this season is settling in well after arriving last week. She had previously been kept as a pet, but despite that start, she’s already showing her true spirit - bouncy, curious, and full of life.
She’s beginning to prepare for the next big step: meeting her new family, the Global troop. For now, she’s enjoying exploring the introcage and getting to know everyone through the fence. Watching her curiosity and confidence grow each day has been incredible.
We’re hopeful it won’t be long before she’s back where she belongs, with her own kind 🐒 #Secondchance #primatesarenotpets #santuary #southafrica #volunteer
Our newest arrival: Cian ❤️🩹
Cian, a nearly 3-year-old rescue, arrived at the foundation on 25th February after what appears to have been a car accident. He was first taken to our local vets where he received stitches before coming into our care.
For his first few days, Cian mostly slept whilst we hand-fed him and gave fluids via syringe. Due to head trauma and swelling around his eyes, he was also closely monitored for seizures while receiving 24/7 critical care.
The good news is that he’s improving every day. We can finally see his eyes fully now, which feels like such a big step forward!
Cian is still recovering, but tomorrow he’ll be moving from round-the-clock critical care into sickbay - a positive step in his healing journey, though he’ll still be monitored closely overnight.
We will keep you updated on his progress as he moves to sickbay.
#animalrescue #southafrica #criticalcarecase #santuary #monkey
