Territorial fights between rival troops can become violent with individuals drawing blood from each other. I observed numerous fights between two troops in the Okavango Delta and there was a constant change of territorial lines.

Hunters and the hunted

Vervets will stick close to trees as a safety precaution against predators such as leopards, eagles, serval and even baboons. In the Okavango Delta I observed a leopard that had developed a tactic to catch vervets. When the monkeys headed into the trees the leopard would climb up after them and set its sights on one. With much screaming the monkeys would panic and jump out the tree onto the ground where the leopard followed and caught them. This was a very successful hunting technique that seldom failed.

Feeding: I have observed a vervet catching and eating a full grown francolin and on another occasion watched a vervet kill and eat a tree squirrel.

Pest control

Vervets can become pests in lodges and camps once they learn that food is easy to come by. They become very sly when wanting to steal from a table. A method I found to keep them at bay was to open a book with a picture of a leopard. A stuffed toy leopard has also been known to work. The monkeys will keep at a distance and alarm call