Vervet Monkey Troupe Erupts Into Civil War | Street Monkeys | Real Wild

[Music] inside these high walls street gangs are roaming out of control but things aren't all they seem the razor wire and electric fences that keep certain intruders at bay surrounds a luxury golfing estate in south africa a 500 acre man-made eden called mount edgecombe and the gangs vervet monkeys primates with attitude the resident party troupe have lived through more change than any previous generation trying to stabilize his rocky throne alpha male brains feels the heat meltdown in the male order throws the troop into crisis [Music] just when unity is needed most the pawnees are locked in conflict [Music] [Music] they say men are from mars and women are from venus well the same sort of thing is true of vervet monkeys male and female agendas are planets apart alpha brains and the other males are driven by mating and power every monkey for himself while for top female bess and the sisterhood it's all about territory passing on their ancestral turf to the next generation given the differences it's remarkable the troop holds together at all under pressure it starts to fall apart the pawnees are facing invasion just at this vital moment the pregnant females are about to give birth territorial females have no option but to stand their ground and face trouble head on but males see opportunity in crisis to climb rank or jump ship with trouble on the outside and mutiny brewing within best and brains must get their acts together and build a new order from the approaching chaos mount edgecomb is the ultimate suburban retreat it's not bad for monkeys too but for the parties it's changed beyond recognition and it will never be the same again they survived the invasion by out of town as the sugarcane gang but lost acres of prime territory the constant fighting is wearing them down especially leaders best and brains when times were good brains went almost unchallenged now times are hard it's the perfect opportunity for upwardly mobile wannabes to challenge the alpha male so who are the usual suspects threatening brains mr cool falls out with brains on an almost daily basis he walks a thin line between loyalty and affection always keeping his options open switching troops could give him the mating opportunities he won't get with the parties with brains at the top next robbie the newcomer who waited to play his trump card when the troop was in exile dramatically leaping into battle he secured his position and outrank cool in one slick maneuver since then he's attracted alpha female bess's attention not the best way to impress the boss finally the last of brain's challenges mr brown he lives a quiet life and shies clear of conflict altogether so far he's never upset the status quo but it's always the quiet ones you have to watch his potential is yet to be seen brains will have to keep a close eye on his subordinates if he wants to remain king of the parties [Music] male vervet sex drive is always set to on and in fighting is usually about access to females the higher your rank the more females you get to mate this time of year the male's relentless sexual appetites force the females into an annual dilemma during late pregnancy female vervets go off sex but not the males and females need their protection when the ladies were offering sexual favors it was easy to keep the males on a leash now they're short on options they have to finesse the situation using grooming as a tool and it doesn't beat the real thing if there is a threat of male desertion it could happen any time now and there's more trouble heading in the pani's direction the trouble with living at the select end of town is sooner or later nosy outsiders are going to check it out [Music] the green briar troupe is on the move during their exile the pani strayed onto greenbriar turf but didn't bank on one thing bringing the greenbriers back with them the trickle is turning into a flood but the parties are onto them bess and the sisterhood appear over the rooftops to stem the flow best sounds the alarm and rallies the troop it's the females who are most committed to defending their turf males may help too but they have other goals like impressing the out of town girls and stopping their males doing exactly the same mr cool is often seen strutting his stuff in the middle of a battle zone being seen in the right place at the right time is vital for a successful male vervet so where is brains it's all building up to a face-off in between the greenbrier's line on one side and the parties on the other lies are contested no monkeys land a large greenbriar male called bandit holds back from the fray he's already been hurt not by another vervet but it does prevent him from taking his place in the lineup the greenbriers are testing the pawnee's nerve who will blink first it's an impressive lineup but the pawnees stand their ground seeing the party's determination the greenbrier is finally withdrawal the parties are already sharing the estate with one troop not to mention the humans there are only so many pieces in the pie mr cool is still center stage making a final sweep of the scene mr brown set it out on the sidelines he never actually made it down from the trees although as different as night and day brown and cool do have something in common joint membership of a secret mutual appreciation society in the subtle language of vervet it's often just when it looks like nothing is happening that something is going down they're not entirely easy in one another's company so why are they hanging about by themselves these two have a history together males don't usually groom each other so when they do it can be a sign of growing allegiance [Music] not good for an alpha male operating a policy of divide and rule brains split the two up but maybe the seeds of rebellion had already been sown brains needs to keep his wits about him he's not the only one losing touch with his troop bandits alone when the green bride's withdrew they left him behind in no monkey's land bandit isn't fit enough to keep up with cool brown and robbie vying for the leadership the last thing they want is another rival on the doorstep bandit needs to get out of here fast but his arm's in bad shape an infection like this could cost him his life but fortunately although he doesn't know it bandit has a guardian angel looking over him steve smith and carol booth are two of south africa's leading animal rights campaigners they care for any animal in need even an abandoned sheep [Music] he's just on four months old now we actually caught him on the day that we were busy doing a crocodile rescue we told carol that we brought this little thing home for the crocodile to eat she was most unimpressed but vervet monkeys hold a very special place in their hearts monkeys get the short end of the stick all the time they suffer and they die every single day and no one's helping them and we feel that that's something that we can do to help and there is one monkey who really needs their help now mount edgecomb is a protected nature conservancy even so the biggest threat by far is humans their pets and their cars bandit was almost certainly hit by a vehicle despite the injury he still made it onto the rooftops to keep out of further harm's way close up the extent of the damage is clear swelling is a sign that the infection has taken hold bandit won't come down unless he has to but without the support of his troop he's very vulnerable luckily his guardian angels have arrived no good looking on the ground a streetwise monkey knows the streets are no place to be if you're injured instinctively bandit takes to the roofs above fortunately for bandit the pawnees have more important things to deal with than a solitary trespasser before she gives birth bess has one last challenge she needs to wean joseph her offspring from last year joseph doesn't seem to understand why he can't suckle bess needs to make it clear the milk bar is now closed so she can focus her attention on raising the next generation a quick groom goes to soften the blow a terrible but necessary rejection is a harrowing moment in any infant's life learning the ways of the world can be tough for any young animal at least joseph has the run of one of the best neighborhoods around [Music] [Music] the manicured golf course is a far cry from the wild savannah but joseph faces similar challenges to little vervets in the bush even if the obstacles are different there might not be the traditional threats in this parallel universe even so through trial and error joseph will learn friend from foe [Music] with each day that passes the arrival of the next generation of parties gets closer the cover of darkness lets lone males escape the attention of the troop in extreme circumstances outsiders kill babies it's a ruthless tactic to make the bereaved mother ready to mate again bess and the sisterhood need their males more than ever [Music] all the sexual politics and territorial battles of the last year lead up to this the central event of the pawnee's calendar in the pani bush a knot of monkeys huddles close gripped by what they've discovered five and a half months in the womb the front runner of the next generation is finally here and a proud mother is a low-ranking female called lucy at this tender age there's no way of knowing if it's a boy or a girl little ones always attract a great deal of attention especially from female sub adults who are drawn like magnets but lucy holds on to a newborn for dear life it's all too apparent that she has a horrific open wound on her neck it's too precise for a dog bite this is most likely the work of another vervet it's unlikely her attacker would be a female so if male the question is why was lucy injured defending herself or defending her baby hopefully she's strong enough to fight off infection if she dies so will her baby vervets don't adopt [Music] brains has been top male for around four years now but the cracks are beginning to show many factors contributed to a success some of them purely physical and some of them more political once upon a time brains didn't have to throw his weight around much now he's spending a lot of time presenting his credentials to would-be challengers along with the idea that they would come off worse in any attack maybe he's just trying to ensure their loyalty at this difficult time but heavy handiness could fuel a rebellion with bess and the females keener than ever to keep the guys on board brains gets a good deal on the grooming front it cuts both ways though brains relies on bess's support too if the sisterhood turned their backs on him he could find himself out on his ear [Music] juveniles are always happy to groom or play with the males oblivious to any hidden agendas [Music] playing with the kids has two key benefits it makes you look like a good prospect to the females and it builds loyalty with the next generation mr brown is enjoying some quality time with a youngster but brains decide he wants to be the focal point of the youth club brown has no choice but to step aside and watch the alpha male steal the scene brains has always been good with the kids but alienating brown may not serve his long-term interests [Music] if he keeps undermining brown he could be in for a nasty surprise [Music] vervet guardian angels steve and carol have finally found bandit but with a raging infection he's only just hanging on [Music] emergency vet kerry eason takes him straight into surgery but it doesn't look good the only way he stands a chance is to amputate his whole arm and pump him full of antibiotics if bandit makes it through the uncertain post-op days he'll travel the well-worn path to twin palms lynette webber's unofficial rehab center on mount edgecombe she's taken it upon herself to deal with the monkey fallout on the estate if you have a nature conservancy you accept what's in it and if you have a conservancy you're actually inviting more animals into it and we can't expect other people to to actually take on our problems and and that's where my issue with them is the fact that we need to take responsibility for these animals lynette thinks mount edgecombe's management isn't doing enough they think she's doing too much she set up a feeding station for wild monkeys strictly against the rules this 24 7 cornucopia is a pearl in the pawnee's realm but sitting on their border with the sugarcane gang it's been hotly contested the rival troops have finally reached a compromise over who owns it they both do ongoing fighting wastes too much energy now it's first come first served lynette's rehab cages also fall foul of estate rules and management want them down mount ishgam feels that i shouldn't have cages on the estate looking after animals i'm not prepared to give it up um i've done it for this long i'm not prepared to turn my back on the monkeys and my point of view is that we're going to have to get a land allocated to psycho we put cages up here and estate animals get treated here and and have a vet on standby for that but we have to do something we've got a lot of animals here the management find themselves in a difficult situation they must walk a fine line between meeting the needs of protected monkeys and respecting the interests of anxious residents generalissimo brains lauded over his banana republic with increasing zeal how much more can the lower ranks take his iron fist rule could spark mutiny [Music] brown is being pushed to the edge of the troop by brain's constant scene-stealing [Music] stressed monkeys can become unpredictable [Music] if brains doesn't lay off something's going to give [Music] mr cool outranks brown and isn't such a pushover he's found himself a little sugar sachet brains muscles in to demand the treat in a blatant act of defiance cool refuses brains is at a loss and cool's lip smacking is a plea for tolerance but he still defies his boss in a turnaround brains backs down sending the wrong signal to other males his authority is publicly undermined and cool is on the rise robbie has escaped brain's crackdown so far but that doesn't mean he's out of the firing line top ranking bess has singled him out she's been making advances but the one time robbie responded it backfired spectacularly joseph got in the way and robbie snapped mother bess went ballistic [Music] now all forgotten forgiven bess presses on with her charm offensive is she switching allegiance backing robbie rather than brains a vote of confidence could tip his bid for the top he's got to keep a low profile until the moment is right bess enjoys all the fringe benefits of her position especially being surrounded by an entourage of attentive parney females fit to burst her baby must surely arrive soon low-ranking lucy has no such support wounded and with a newly born there is no let up in her grooming duties brown comes by for some tlc and lucy needing protection more than ever can't refuse him the last thing brown needs is brains on the scene wound up by a standoff with cool and the last thing brains wants to see is another monkey getting more attention than him brown makes a sharp exit but lucy doesn't sense the danger it's over in a blink of an eye but in the middle of the screaming match it looks like brains made a lunge for lucy's baby did he attack lucy the night she gave birth it doesn't make sense brains has probably fathered more babies than any other maybe lucy was just caught in the crossfire of the ongoing brains brown rivalry lucy's shaken but she and her little one are okay whatever provoked brains his over-the-top behavior could alienate the sisterhood he'd always been the reliable one the alpha with the common touch but he's now losing that touch with his power base with other males primed for action his crown is in real jeopardy at twin palms a suspicious reception committee clocks the arrival of the latest inmate bandits survive the critical post-op days so steve and carol bring him to lynette's to recuperate steve's developed a special relationship with bandit who gave him his first vervet bite in 10 years of monkey rescue look here see what you did to my hand look at that thing into my hand there when i showed him the injury the first time after he had written it he put his nose right down and he sniffed it and he looked and he held my hand and he looked all over there to see what he'd done and every time i come to him in the day i first show him what he did to me and he does the same thing every time he has a good look at it and sort of as if to say well that was just a little bite next time bandits on foreign soil here and wild males are already casing the joint whether pawnee or sugar they could tear a lone rival apart [Music] bandit doesn't know they can't get in just that he can't get out lynette will see how he copes with one arm before deciding whether he should return to his troop or spend the rest of his days behind bars mount edgecombe was built for people but all wildlife enjoys protection here on the estate [Music] and some residents want to take this a step further and have lobbied management to build a proper rehab center for the local animal population open to suggestions estate manager vic crowther meets lynette stephen carroll on a potential site at the edge of the estate to explore the possibilities i think what we need to do is see what our needs are over period and see what animals do come in and then we can say okay well we need x y z or we don't so you'll have that perimeter fence around the cages to stop humans getting too close no because they sort of mind their own business and that's fine steve and carol rescue two to three monkeys every week and lynette's cared for hundreds over the six years she's lived here the new center will have to take over the relentless cycle of capture care and release the one we're releasing on fridays lost his arm in a car accident just outside the gate but he'll go back he'll be fine but he's going to be i've named him the one-armed bandit so he would be we'll be around with his one arm but he's actually doing very function yeah it functions very well the center will deal with the local casualties the only way to improve urbanized monkeys long-term prospects across south africa is through education our talk here today is going to make it easier for you to be good ambassadors now we feel that if we start with the children we're not going to end up with adults who have no knowledge and or understanding of the monkeys when monkeys come into your garden a lot of people are concerned and say wow these monkeys are dangerous monkeys are not vicious they don't come to your house looking for a fight they don't come along and say well we're in this garden today let's see if there's a kid we can bite here today if you've got a school of 500 learners you're talking to 500 learners who take that message back to 500 families out there it's almost like being able to disperse it into the wind and it lands where it needs to land it really is a privilege to have monkeys around your home thank you for being such a good audience vervet's success is built on resilience and self-sufficiency taking advantage of fortune and change mr brown's fortunes are rapidly declining he's kept a low profile since provoking brain's attack on lucy solo bug hunting keeps him out of harm's way insects are packed with protein but they're very small packets brown's gone back to his roots with this meal like all vervets he can fall back on his ancestral survival skills but they're not fussy and recognize a good thing when they see it it's ensured their success in a turbulent world a quick fix of calorie-laden human fodder saves hours of foraging italian takeaways are less common in the wild the rest of the fast living parties have found some spaghetti there's no such thing as a low-carb diet for them bess shares the italian meal with joseph now the milk bar is well and truly [Music] closed after dinner a marginalised brown walks a knife edge surveying his options should he stay or should he go it seems the relentless pressure on brain's position is also getting to him he's seeking favors from the sisterhood and they go through the motions to please he's reluctant to settle anywhere for long eventually he picks mid-ranking half-tail but she's so heavy with baby she's simply not interested there's only so much grooming a male monkey can take brains wants to keep higher ranking males apart and prevent alliances forming but brown is fed up with life in solitary and looks for buddies to boost his confidence it will only provoke brains if he's found out robbie takes brown's approach as a challenge he sees him as a rival not an ally broadsiding each other doesn't get them anywhere conservative robbie cold shoulders brown no covert gatherings for him brown seeks out cool to rekindle their earlier affiliation cool makes it clear he's top monkey brown isn't mounting a challenge just seeking reassurance brown initiates the clandestine grooming in vervet circles male male grooming can spell treason they're both looking over their shoulders but cool does groom his buddy back giving brown's confidence a desperately needed boost enough confidence for brown to turn to the sisterhood for some more support brains has given up on half tail by the time brown arrives on the scene [Music] he's pushing his luck right under brain's nose unaware of the explosive potential halftail willingly attends to her duties it's too much and brains is in like a [Music] rocket the action happened so fast it's difficult to see what happened but look again an irate brains launches into the tree but who bounces out its brains kicked out by a brown who's finally snapped does this now make brown the king of the pawnees is this the inevitable sunset on brain's long rule and what does this mean for the rest of the troop [Music] this past year has seen a phenomenal change for the parties on their mount educam home alpha's best and brains have rolled with the punches but external and internal pressures have taken their toll the final straw was brown's act of rebellion but seizing power is one thing holding on to it another as he's about to find out an extremely agitated brains marches back to center stage and brown crumbles lip smacking it was a split second mistake he is hoping the boss will be lenient as he takes back his throne having been at the top so long brains is used to behaving like an alpha monkey none of his wannabes show this skill or confidence and neither do they boast brains true blue assets unfakeable proof that he's fit for purpose but he's the natural choice as leader of the pawnees brain still needs a male power base to maintain his hierarchy so what will happen to the wannabes now mr brown will probably settle back to the quiet life he used to lead on the edge of the troop robbie seems happy to sit where he's landed this time last year he wasn't even a party as long as he can deal with bess's fixation he should be fine and mr cool he's always been a bit of an oddball and maybe the grass is greener for him on the other side of the fence with another troop but he'll find his own way in his own time [Music] the only tricky individuals brains can't deal with are the pani's inflexible human neighbors [Music] the need for a safe place to live in the need to be able to live our lives in a manner which is fulfilling vervets have those same needs you can't draw a distinction and say that our needs are more important than theirs full permission has yet to be granted for the new rehab center but steve and lynette haven't given up on their dream we will keep going as long as we have to we will somehow other find the resources to keep our project funded and to keep going we can never ever stop and say well you know today we can't do it because we don't have the resources only a few details are outstanding before the final proposal goes to the estate management but if the rehab center is built and lynette's cages come down will twin palms fall off the monkey's radar joint palms have been quite a hot spot for the monkeys for quite a long time and i think it's because of the the males that's been coming and going into the cages and i do hope that they still come because i will miss them if they don't two of lynnette's males are ready to return to their troop bandits going to be released with another greenbriar male a victim of illegal snaring there's no way of guessing how a troop will react to returning monkeys releases are always a bit nerve-wracking [Music] first to go is the smaller snared male oh he knows this place oh yes what's happened we've let that young male out first as you can see he doesn't feel in any way threatened by them they're sniffing him that's him in the front the one sniffing at his behind there's another youngster come up to greet him they're all very happy to see him that's good behavior there how will they react to a three-limbed bandit he's been quite fast for that he just got to get used to the fact that he doesn't have that weight [Music] look at him he's got a whole entourage there it's amazing isn't it that's the kind of magic we love to see they've done all they can it's up to bandit now it'll be easier for him now the greenbriers are staying put in the heart of their turf they too have young ones to protect a temporary ceasefire with the parties lets them all off the hook for a while at the edge of their forest sanctuary in the heart of mount edgecombe bess's big moment has finally arrived [Music] the queen of the pawnees carries her new baby her presence draws the attention of the whole troop bess's latest heir surveys the realm joseph is usurped it's time he learns to look after himself [Music] behind bess and her baby there's a distinctive flash of blue it's brains against the odds alpha male and female sit side by side brains has kept his crown and bass as delivered this baby was born with a silver spoon in its mouth of all the troops in and around mount edgecombe the pawnees are the ones producing the most babies lucy is joined by more and more mothers vervets seem to have robust immune systems and in a few months lucy may show no signs of the attack on her her assailant remains a mystery but there's safety in numbers for both mothers and babies in the meantime there's no let up in lucy's grooming duties bess and another high-ranking mother form an intimate bond this closeness and maternal support is the backbone of the sisterhood and ultimately the secret to the pani's success [Music] after a roller coaster ride through the last year the pawnees have clung on to the heart of their territory and held the troop together [Music] [Music] they've produced the next generation the ultimate goal for vervets living in increasingly difficult circumstances babies attract all the attention but it's the juveniles and sub-adults will be taking an active role soon who will be the next best lucy will little joseph be a brown or a brains like their parents they will face a rapidly changing world but the fact that vervets are still here successfully raising their babies on the rooftops of mount edgecombe shows they have the adaptability and spirit to survive and with a little help from their friends prosper you

Channel: Real Wild

Views: 84,059

Keywords: animal kingdom conflict, animal war, civil war, dominance struggle, educational video, jungle conflict, jungle warfare, monkey dominance, monkey dominance battle, monkey hierarchy, monkey survival, monkey war, primate study, vervet monkey behavior, vervet monkey troop, vervet monkeys at war, wild animal behavior, wildlife behavior, wildlife crisis analysis, wildlife education

Id: xQXs7WaEuGU

Length: 49min 59sec (2999 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 26 2021