Vervet Monkeys are very common in southern Africa and are labeled as 'least concern', and yet seeing them in zoos is a rare occurrence. Most of the times when I've come across the species, it has been at a non-accredited facility. Roadsides love Vervets! The big AZA zoos have, until recent years, not even considered having Vervets on display but perhaps that is slowly changing.
When I went though all my zoo reviews and photos from bygone years, I found 15 zoos with Vervet Monkeys, 1 zoo with Grivet Monkeys and 1 zoo with Green Monkeys. I've decided to lump all
17 zoos together, as the taxonomy has changed considerably and no one seems to agree how many species and subspecies there are of this type of primate. It's almost comical that I might have seen 3 separate species, or even multiple subspecies at other zoos, and there's no way to figure it out even if one was a scientist who studies primates. It's all very vague.
1- Emperor Valley Zoo (Trinidad & Tobago) –
Green Monkey – 2008
2- Oakland Zoo (USA) – Vervet Monkey – 2011
3- Erie Zoo (USA) –
Grivet Monkey – 2012
4- Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo (USA) – Vervet Monkey – 2014
5- Tiger Safari (USA) – Vervet Monkey – 2015
6- Wild Wilderness Drive-Through Safari (USA) – Vervet Monkey – 2015
7- Franklin Drive-Thru Safari (USA) – Vervet Monkey – 2015
8- Capital of Texas Zoo (USA) – Vervet Monkey – 2015
9- Sierra Safari Zoo (USA) – Vervet Monkey – 2015
10- America’s Teaching Zoo: Moorpark College (USA) – Vervet Monkey – 2017
11- Roscommon Zoo (USA) – Vervet Monkey – 2018
12- Summerfield Zoo (USA) – Vervet Monkey – 2018
13- Special Memories Zoo (USA) – Vervet Monkey – 2018
14- Van Blanckendaell Park (Netherlands) – Vervet Monkey – 2019
15- Serengeti-Park (Germany) – Vervet Monkey – 2019
16- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Vervet Monkey – 2023
17- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Vervet Monkey – 2023
@Julio C Castro
Emperor Valley Zoo (Trinidad & Tobago) had a whole series of basic primate cages in a row when I was there in 2008, including this one for 'Green Monkeys':
Erie Zoo (USA) had a sign that said 'Grivet Guenon' on this all-indoor enclosure when I was there in 2012. I'm guessing that the monkey was a typical Vervet, but there's been taxonomic changes since then so...who knows?
Obscure establishments, such as
Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo (USA), is where I've often come across Vervet Monkeys:
Here's a dark little cage for Vervet Monkeys at
Tiger Safari (USA):
The ZooChat gallery is full of images that showcase how the U.S. has many of the world's worst zoos. At least
Wild Wilderness Drive-Through Safari (USA) has now closed, and when I was there in 2015 there was a Vervet Monkey in one tiny cage and a couple of Ring-tailed Lemurs next door:
Vervet Monkey cage at
Franklin Drive-Thru Safari (USA):
This ramshackle Vervet Monkey cage looks as if it was hammered together by hillbillies at
Capital of Texas Zoo (USA):
Good grief! Another small roadside cage for Vervet Monkeys can be found at
Sierra Safari Zoo (USA):
A solitary Vervet Monkey at
Roscommon Zoo (USA):
Slightly better for Vervet Monkeys is this larger cage at
Van Blanckendaell Park (Netherlands), a privately-owned zoo.
I was surprised to see Vervet Monkeys in an open exhibit at
Serengeti-Park (Germany), with a water moat and no cage anywhere in sight. It would be a good debate as to whether a spacious cage or a large island exhibit was actually better for these primates.
I really enjoyed seeing Vervet Monkeys at
San Diego Zoo (USA) last summer, in a newer exhibit as part of the sprawling
Africa Rocks complex. As one can tell from all the photos connected to this post, it is by FAR the best Vervet Monkey exhibit I've ever seen.
@pachyderm pro
@Julio C Castro
@Moebelle
My Mammal List:
Gibbons -
143 zoos and 192 exhibits (9 species: 64 White-handed, 62 Siamang, 36 Northern White-cheeked, 12 Yellow-cheeked, 7 Southern Grey, 5 Pileated, 3 Silvery, 2 Agile, 1 Eastern Hoolock, with some zoos having multiple species)
Elephants -
104 zoos (61 Asian, 53 African, including some zoos with both)
Spider Monkeys -
91 zoos and 95 exhibits (5 species: Black-headed, Colombian Brown, Geoffroy's, Red-faced Black, White-bellied)
Macaques -
80 zoos and 113 exhibits (12 species: 25 Lion-tailed, 23 Japanese, 16 Barbary, 13 Sulawesi Crested, 10 Pig-tailed, 9 Rhesus, 7 Crab-eating, 4 Bonnet, 2 Stump-tailed, 2 Toque, 1 Booted, 1 Tonkean, including some zoos with multiple species)
Squirrel Monkeys -
78 zoos (2 species: Bolivian, Common)
Gorillas -
74 zoos (2 species: Western Lowland, plus 1 Eastern Lowland at Antwerp Zoo)
Orangutans -
74 zoos (2 species: Bornean, Sumatran)
Colobus Monkeys -
72 zoos (3 species: Angolan, King, Mantled Guereza)
Capuchins -
71 zoos and 81 exhibits (7 species: 44 Tufted, 19 White-faced, 9 Golden-bellied, 5 White-fronted, 2 Crested, 1 Hooded, 1 Wedge-capped, with 10 zoos having two species)
Chimpanzees -
64 zoos
Guenons -
63 zoos and 95 exhibits (13 species: 28 De Brazza's, 15 Diana, 12 Wolf's Mona, 10 Red-tailed, 9 Lesser Spot-nosed, 7 Mona, 5 Blue, 2 L'Hoest's, 2 Owl-faced, 2 Roloway, 1 Greater Spot-nosed, 1 Moustached, 1 Sykes', with some zoos having multiple species)
Saki Monkeys -
58 zoos (2 species: 56 White-faced, 2 Bearded)
Langurs -
48 zoos (6 species: 17 Francois', 9 Dusky Leaf, 8 East Javan, 6 Hanuman, 6 Silvery Lutung, 2 Red-shanked Douc)
Baboons -
41 zoos and 49 exhibits (4 species: 31 Hamadryas, 11 Olive, 6 Guinea, 1 Yellow, with some zoos having multiple species)
Mandrills -
41 zoos
Howler Monkeys -
40 zoos (2 species: 34 Black, 6 Red)
Mangabeys -
30 zoos (5 species: 11 Red-capped, 9 Black Crested, 6 Golden-bellied, 3 White-naped, 1 Sooty)
Douroucoulis -
22 zoos (5 species: Grey-legged, Humboldt's, Nancy Ma's, Southern Bolivian, Three-striped)
Patas Monkeys -
20 zoos
Titi Monkeys -
19 zoos (3 species: 11 White-eared, 7 Coppery, 1 Red-bellied)
Vervet Monkeys -
17 zoos
Bonobos -
14 zoos
Allen's Swamp Monkeys -
10 zoos
Drills -
8 zoos
Geladas -
6 zoos