Project Leaders
Volunteer Work with Vervet Monkeys in South Africa

Arthur Hunt - Co-Founder & Rehabilitator

Arthur Hunt is one of the world's best known primatologists. He set up the foundation over a decade ago with Dave Du Toit and has appeared in many Radio and Television documentaries since then. Arthur manages the centre and spends 24hours a day looking after monkeys in the sickbay area with a team of volunteers. With the initial help of a homeopath he has recently started introducing homeopathic treatments successfully alongside conventional veterinary medicine. He assists the public with help in dealing with alleged vervet problems so humans and vervets can co-exist peacefully together. Arthur has also given many talks to local schools as part of educating children about the importance of the vervet.

Josie Du Toit - Bookings Administrator

Josie has always had a passion for both domestic and wild animals. From an early age she volunteered at weekends helping wildlife centres and rescue homes. She did a National Diploma in Animal Care at Sparsholt College, England followed by a Higher National Diploma in Animal Management / Applied Biology. Josie also spent 18 months at a new Vet clinic in London where she worked as a Veterinary Nurse. Before arriving in Africa she was working in Yeovil, England as a veterinary technical advisor followed by a veterinary administrator for a worldwide pet food company. In November 2005, Josie decided she wasn’t doing enough to help the wildlife of this world so she went to South African and volunteered at the foundation for a month. She had such an amazing experience with the monkeys and other volunteers that after 3 months of back in England, she sold her house in Yeovil and moved to South Africa with her dog Rubin for good.

Debbie & Steve Greensmith - Volunteer Co-ordinators

Debbie and Steve have always been interested in African wildlife and 3 years ago they decided to become actively involved in helping endangered primates. They both volunteered at Mona Foundation in Spain working with rescued chimpanzees and they also spent a month at a wildlife rehabilitation centre in South Africa working with vervet monkeys and baboons. Since then Debbie and Steve made the decision to spend the rest of their lives in Africa helping primates. After spending 7 months as project leaders at a wildlife centre they were offered the opportunity of working at the foundation as Volunteer Co-ordinators.

Dave Du Toit - Co-founder, Chairperson and GVI on site support

Prior to starting the foundation, Dave worked as an army medic followed by an apiculturist for many years. His knowledge of pollination of plants and crops helped to assist with discovering the important role the vervet plays in the eco-system. In 1989, one of Dave’s workers found a baby vervet monkey crying in the bush on the farm he stayed on in Duiwelskloof. The worker handed him to Dave, whom hand reared the baby vervet and named the monkey – ‘Regus’. Without knowing the Vervet monkey was then classified as vermin, he called the conservation authorities for help and was told to kill it. Dave with the help of advice from a vet in Kruger park, hand reared Regus and fought hard to find out why such an intelligent animal was classified as vermin and what he could do to protect it. Regus was the reason Dave set up the foundation together with Arthur and between them, worked hard together to change the status of the Vervet Monkey which is now classified as ‘normal game’. Dave, now married to Josie, works to help finance the foundation and is also the GVI support for volunteers. Dave is on site daily and able to assist with any problems or questions GVI volunteers may have during their stay.