First a python, now a monkey! The RUSA team are proving to be heroes not only to people but to wildlife too.
Canelands, KwaZulu-Natal (09 September 2025) – The brave officers from Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) are proving that when it comes to compassion for animals, lightning really can strike twice!
Just weeks after they safely relocated a 2.5-metre African Rock Python, the team has once again stepped in, this time to save an injured vervet monkey.
On Monday morning, an adult male vervet fell nearly six metres from a roof during a fight with a troop in Canelands. The fall left him with serious injuries to both back legs. While trying to move him to safety, the monkey ducked into a narrow pipe that led into a stormwater drain, a place where rescue could have become impossible.
The officers didn’t give up.
With patience and care, they managed to bring the frightened soul out without incident, ensuring he could get the urgent medical attention he needed. By the afternoon, the monkey was recovering safely at the RUSA headquarters while a wildlife organisation was contacted to take over his care.
It’s the second time in as many months that these security officers have found themselves swapping crime scenes for rescue scenes! Once again, they showed the kind of courage that makes them real heroes far beyond their job descriptions.
Vervet monkeys, known locally as blouaap (Afrikaans) or inkawu (isiZulu), are a common sight in South Africa, but their lives are far from easy. They’re highly social animals that live in troops of up to 50, and fights, especially between males, can be fierce. They’re also under constant pressure from shrinking habitats and urban conflict, often forced into dangerous spaces where accidents like this happen.
Monday’s rescue highlights how important it is for people and wildlife to coexist with care. These officers didn’t just prevent further suffering for the little monkey, they reminded us all that every animal life matters. Compassion is a choice we can make every day.
To the RUSA team, once again, hats off. First a python, now a monkey. We actually can’t wait to see what you’ll save next!
Update: Since the RUSA team’s heartfelt efforts to rescue the injured monkey, medical examinations revealed that its injuries were human-inflicted. The monkey had been shot with a pellet gun, and its injuries were too severe to treat. The monkey has since been humanely euthanised. Without the RUSA team’s efforts, the poor soul could have suffered unnecessarily. Thank you for being wildlife heroes, RUSA! Thank you for being there.
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