Cape Town To Increase Residential Rates to Keep Baboons Out?

Cape Town could be forced to increase its residential rates to be able to manage the conflicts that are developing between 11 troops of baboons and the Cape Peninsular’s city and town residents.

The baboons of the Cape Peninsular, south of Cape Town, are a real tourist attraction both within the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP), along the roads that pass through it and at many of the landmarks in the peninsular. They are Chacma Baboons (Papio ursinus), also known as the Cape Baboon which are like all other baboons, from the Old World monkey family.

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Although the baboon occurs widely across Southern Africa and is classified as “Least Concern” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species the South African Nation Parks regard the baboon population of the peninsular to be critically endangered due to habitat loss, genetic isolation, and conflicts with humans. The reason for the habitat loss and the conflict is clear to see on the map of TMNP - the park consists of several areas (dark grey in the map) which are scattered through the populated areas from Cape Town in the North to Cape Point in the South. The park often boarders borders directly on highly built up suburbs of a number of large towns. Because they are seen to have “tourist attraction” and to be under threat the baboons in the peninsular are protected leaving residents to have to rely on the authorities and NGOs to control the baboons.

This is, however, not going very well at present. There are reports of residents who have installed electric fencing, limited the width that doors and windows open, secured rubbish bins, dug out fruit trees and grassed over vegetable patches to try and keep the baboons away. But baboons seem not to be deterred and have tried to break windows and remove roof tiles to get into houses. Whereas a few years ago “a well-aimed jet of water” from a garden hose moved them on they now respond with aggressive behavior which is very alarming, to residents.

Besides this apparently increasingly ineffective approach of reducing the attractiveness of the suburbs to the baboons, the introduction of baboon monitors has given some hope. Baboon monitors are hired to monitor each of the 11 troops in the PeninsularPeninsular and keep them out of the suburbs. The monitors are at the same time able to keep an eye on people feeding the baboons illegally, which is know to aggravate the situation. However, there is no effective source of funds to establish and maintain sufficient monitors to reverse the situation.

Things have deteriorated so far, that there have recently been cases where residents have taken the law into their own hands and shot baboons that they felt posed a danger. With the increasing numbers on and around the roads there has been an increase in the number of baboons killed in accidents.

It is the residents calling for an effective and permanent system of monitors that has the Municipality considering raising its residential taxes to source income for monitors. It however appears that the Municipality is thinking of other more “cost effective and efficient” solutions. Possibly the culling or relocation of “rouge males” who lead others into unacceptable actions.

Everyone seems agreed what must be achieved - The City, Cape Nature and Table Mountain National Park said in a joint statement, that they all recognised that baboons were “a major asset” to the Peninsula and they were committed to finding a “best practice solution” to ensuring their long-term survival.

Image Credits:

baboon photo by Graham Racher on Flickr under a Creative Commons license

map from Table Mountain National Park Website

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