The Vervet Monkey Foundation is a sanctuary for over 500 vervet monkeys and six samango monkeys. Our revolutionary foster mum programme is one of its kind in the world. It was created by the directors specifically for vervet monkeys to guarantee the monkeys an upbringing that is as natural as possible. To achieve that we introduce orphaned babies to monkey females at the age of 6 weeks to create a strong mother-infant bond. Later, the foster mum rejoins her troop in a semi-wild enclosure. There, she will include the baby in her personal social network of her own mother, sisters, aunties, children and friends. Thus, the baby grows up not just with a mum, but with an entire family to support them on their journey
Success Stories from our foster mum programme
Foster Mum Mrs Gold with her two adopted children Ellie (left) and Maddox (right) in February 2020. 
Elio arrived at the VMF in July 2021, very out of season. He was adopted in August 2021 and know lives happily in Goliath troop. 
Toni was adopted by Apie in 2021 and lives with his family in Global enclosure. 
Baby girl April was adopted by Jessie after she was orphaned in January 2021. 
Spiegel in 2011, the first baby orphan who was adopted by a monkey mum. 
Spiegel is now a beautiful, strong adult male (2019) 
Bru was adopted by alpha female Paradise in Skunkey troop in 2021
