Steve Smit tells us about how Monkey Helpline and a freight company worked together to save three vervet monkeys this week.
Durban, South Africa (19 September 2025) — A few days ago, we shared how two rescuers, Steve Smit from Monkey Helpline and rescue companion Daniel Stewart, rushed out to save three vervet monkeys who were spotted darting between containers on a cargo ship out at sea.
After speaking with Steve, we’ve got the full story, and it’s just incredible! This was the first time Monkey Helpline has ever been called out beyond the breaks for a rescue.
“We have gone out in small boats to collect fish and birds in the water, and also the odd small animal that’s been washed out, but we’ve never ventured beyond the waves,” says Steve, who has since returned. alongside Daniel, with three vervet monkeys in tow.
When the call first came in, the plan was to fly the team by helicopter to the anchored vessel far out at sea. Then, logistics thwarted that plan. But in a remarkable demonstration of care, the shipping company made another plan. It decided instead to turn the ship around and bring it back to Durban, at a huge expense and delay to them, to make the rescue possible.
“We were blown away that they went through all that trouble,” Steve said. “It was amazing to see that level of compassion from a shipping company.”
Once anchored offshore in Durban, still many nautical miles out at sea, a supply boat met our two heroes at the harbour and ferried them out.
After a choppy ride and a daunting safety induction that included a crash course about how to safely climb from one vessel abroad to another (Steve says that got his heart racing), they entered the massive ship without much fuss.
After security and safety checks, Steve and Daniel were let through and started their valiant mission of trapping monkeys.
In another remarkable show of care, the shipping crew (under the advice of Monkey Helpline who had not yet reached them) had already managed to build an impressive makeshift trap, successfully trapping one of the three vervets.
“They used their initiative and built this massive trap, which was about six metres long, about a metre and a half high, and about two and a half metres deep…complete with a guillotine door that had dropped down behind the one monkey, who had been lured with food. It was absolutely amazing that they went to all that trouble in such a short time. At this stage, we were already pretty blown away that they had made all the effort of coming back to port,” recalls Steve.
Then it was up to Steve and Daniel to catch the other two.
One had bolted into a cabin filled with gas canisters, darting along gantries overhead. With quick thinking, Steve managed to net him on his first attempt. The last monkey was coaxed into a trap. Within just over an hour, all three were safely secured in travel boxes.
With the crew’s cooperation and help, back onto the supply boat they hopped, safely loading the monkeys along with them. One last stint at sea would lead them safely back home to Vervet Valley, where Monkey Helpline’s head office is based.
Chugging back home on choppy waters, nature gave Steve and Daniel a special ‘thank you’.
“On the jounrey back, we were fortunate enough to spot a a young whale following along and to the side of us, about 15 to 20 metres away. We noticed it first in periphery, a soft puff of steam and water that came up now and again. We looked closely in the choppy seas, and sure enough, there was a little whale following. That was an added bonus for us,” says Steve.
On their arrival at Monkey Helpline’s facility, the three vervets were given a chance to rest overnight before being moved into clinic cages.
They were thin, stressed, and covered in coal dust. One of the rescues, a male, was missing a hand which he had presumably lost to Durban’s muthi trade. Another male sported an injured left eye, and a frightened female clung to her companions.
“And so after a long and exciting day, Steve and Daniel emerged victorious. Three, much in need of TLC Vervet monkeys, the unlikely stowaways of a ship heading for far away lands, securely boxed. The three are now safe at Monkey Helpline. They need a vet check and assessment and then will then go into quarantine at the Vervet Valley before being added to a new rehab group of monkeys,” shares the Monkey Helpline.
Now its up to the Monkey Helpline’s on-the-ground support to nurse the three vervets back into shape.
“This is where I take over, it’s my specialty. In the care of the ‘feeder’, me, they will once again, get fat, healthy and strong and their joint on the ship will just be a distant memory, a story to tell their kids one day, an adventure to pass on for generations. The story of how the monkeys went to sea in a beautiful ‘pea green boat’… “To sea, to sea, to see, what they could see, in a beautiful pea green boat, to sea, to sea…” shares Carol Booth, who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes and on-the-ground in coordinating this incredible rescue.
What a story, and with a good ending. Thanks to a dedicated rescue team and the ship’s crew that cared enough to turn back, three curious monkeys are alive today to tell the tale.
To support and find out more about the Monkey Helpline and the work they do, visit their Facebook page here, website here or contact them on 082 659 4711 or 082 411 5444.
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