The baboons of the Cape Peninsula
are in trouble.
Centuries ago chacma baboons roamed the area freely, Today, as their
living space drastically diminishes due to urban encroachment, man and
animal are brought into close
contact.
Today there are
only around 350 baboons left.
At the
present rate of baboon deaths, predictions show that there will not be
a viable baboon presence on the southern peninsula in 10 years.
In
1990, after a troop of 18 baboons of the Kommetjie troop was shot by
Cape Nature Conservation (now CapeNature) residents led by Wally
Peterson and Jenni Trethowan formed the Kommetjie Environmental Action
Group (KEAG) to help protect the remaining baboons.
In
1997,
Proclamation 12 of the Nature and Environmental Ordinance 19 of 1974,
declared baboons were no longer allowed to be hunted or removed
from the area. It is hence illegal to harm the baboons.
Jenni Trethowan's Baboon Matters implemented what turned out to be a very successful plan of
employing baboon monitors to herd two troops of baboons away from human
settlements in Kommetjie, Da Gama Park, Misty Cliffs and Scarborough to forage in the surrounding hills.
The
monitors find where the troop has slept and each morning herd the
troop away from the villages to forage in the surrounding hills. If
baboons do enter villages, monitors keep them on the move by means of
whistles, baboon noises and shouts. This minimizes the chance of
baboons stopping to raid houses and bins.
In the past years funding for the Baboon
Monitor Project has been an on-going problem with funds often running
low and residents being warned of the prospect of increased baboon
raids.
Monitors
effectively reduce raids, keeping troops away 85% of the time. The
monitor system has also helped in reducing baboon mortality rates and won international awards and recognition.
In 2009 the contract was awarded away from Baboon Matters and in the same month new management began in August 2009, the first of two culling protocols was introduced.
Other controversial strategies such as the use of whips and bear bangers to herd the animals were also repeatedly attempted to be introduced despite objections from animal welfare groups, including the NSPCA, and residents.
