“A Hefty Fine Is Not Enough”: Two Monkeys Almost Auctioned Get Saved in Vryburg Rescue

• Two young monkeys were rescued in Vryburg after a wildlife rehabilitation volunteer spotted a man trying to sell them
• It took just two phone calls to get a police officer from the Vryburg K9 Unit on the scene
• People were moved by the quick action that saved the two animals, though many felt the fine handed to the suspect wasn't enough

Two young monkeys came close to being sold at an auction in Vryburg before a quick-thinking volunteer and a fast-responding police officer stepped in. @OwlRescueCentre shared the story on their Facebook page on 9 May 2026, along with a photo of the two little ones sitting together on a chair at the police station. The post was shared with the message:

"Early yesterday morning, one of our wildlife rehabilitation volunteers in Vryburg, Sunélle Smit, called us regarding a man trying to sell two tied-up monkeys at an auction in town."

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Vryburg sits about 400km from the Owl Rescue Centre in Hartbeespoort, North West. With the distance too great to cover in time, the centre asked Sunélle to rope in local police. She made two phone calls and reached Warrant Officer Rassie Erasmus from the Vryburg K9 Unit. He headed straight to the auction yard and met Sunélle there. The suspect was apprehended on the spot. The man received a fine for attempting to sell indigenous wildlife, and the two monkeys were handed to Sunélle for safekeeping until the local Nature Conservation Department could collect them on Monday and transfer them to a primate rehabilitation centre.

The Owl Rescue Centre praised both Sunélle and Warrant Officer Erasmus for their swift action, saying the world needs more people like them.

The illegal wildlife trade

Trading in indigenous wildlife without the necessary permits is illegal in South Africa and carries serious penalties under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act.

See the Facebook photo below:

People praise the Vryburg monkey rescue

The comments section on @OwlRescueCentre's Facebook page showed many who felt for the monkeys:

@elizabeth.ducap wrote: "Love the poses and 'how are we going to word this'."

@sandra.v.westhuizen said:

"There is nothing Rassie can't do."

@jacquievansfouche joked:

"With a name like Rassie, we knew he would win."

@rassie.erasmus.428463 questioned:

"A hefty fine is not enough. If it were me, I would've dug deeper. How did he come into possession of the baby monkeys?"

@trish.mcalister.1 wrote:

"Thank goodness these two precious souls were saved in time. The hardship our wildlife go through breaks my heart."

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@marguerite.duplessis added:

"The world needs more people like you, and it goes without saying, the Owl Rescue Centre as well."

@ann.vallender wrote:

"I really wish people would not trade in wildlife, so unkind and ruthless."

@charmaine.saunders.2025 said:

"The teamwork and quick thinking that went into rescuing those monkeys is truly commendable."

More on SA wildlife making headlines

• Briefly News reported on an SA woman who did a photoshoot with a real tiger in Bangkok.
• A lion charged straight at guests on a lodge deck at a Limpopo game reserve, and South Africans watching had very little sympathy for anyone involved.
• A man came face-to-face with two lions in the wild, and the way he handled it had Mzansi completely stunned by his nerve.

Source: Briefly News