Baboon activists from the Deep South are rallying together to protect a baboon troop left vulnerable due to the withdrawal of City of Cape Town rangers.
According to Baboon Matters, a non-government organisation (NGO) based in Kommetjie, the CT2 baboon troop in Constantia was left without rangers to mitigate conflict between humans and baboons, which has resulted in people “taking things into their own hands”.
Jenni Trethowan, founder of Baboon Matters explains: “In 2021, the CT2 troop started to expand their home range from the Vlakkenberg range into Cecilia Forest, a move that had been anticipated by the specialist researchers who advise the City of Cape Town on the management of the baboons. The service provider working at that time made provisions for rangers to continue managing the troop.
“The City of Cape Town had previously paid service providers to manage 11 troops of baboons for 14 years; which included the CT2 troop of Constantia.”
However, in April 2022, the City withdrew rangers from the troop, stating that they did not manage baboons in that area and that the rangers were not successful in that terrain, says Trethowan.
“Residents were unprepared for the ongoing incursions of baboons into their homes and properties and as a result of fear and frustration started ‘taking matters into their own hands’.
“People started using paintball guns, pellet guns and high calibre weapons against the baboons.”
Since the withdrawal of rangers, baboons have been shot, run over and disappeared, she adds.
“One baboon was shot and died, one was knocked over by a vehicle, one disappeared and several have what appear to be bullet or pellet injuries.”
Meanwhile, activists from Baboon Matters, Baboon Watch Western Cape and Tokai Baboon Action Group have raised funds for baboon monitors to assist with alerting motorists to the presence of baboons in the area.
“The volunteers were amazing and covered daylight hours, in all weather conditions for over six months; however, the continual stress of baboons in danger on the roads, being shot at, injured and killed was overwhelming.
“Baboon Matters offered help to see if we could fund monitors to keep the troop off the roads and out of houses whilst the authorities resolved long outstanding issues.”
She questions why the City would remove rangers for this troop only.
Samantha Hodgson, a resident of Fish Hoek and co-founder of Baboon Watch Western Cape, says more than R40 000 is needed per month to employ baboon monitors.
“We need R43 000 a month to run the programme and we receive nothing from the City. Also, only three residents in Constantia contribute around R300 a month.
“We have to fund the rest with fund-raising efforts.”
Hodgson adds that urgent traffic calming measures are needed as speeding motorists have, in the most recent case, killed two baboons.
“Seeing an 11-month-old baby baboon lying on the side of the road in the dark after its mother was knocked down and killed at almost the exact same place in Rhodes Drive six weeks ago is unbelievable.
“For weeks, the juvenile baboon cried for her mother and now she was killed in almost the exact same place her mother died.”
The CT2 troop has to navigate the very busy Constantia Main Road, Rhodes Drive and Southern Cross Drive.
Hodgson adds: “I don’t know where the traffic department is. We have been here for the past 18 months and this road is a race track with no police in sight. Motorists don’t care. Traffic measures on that road are needed. It is lawless.”
According to Hodgson, it is the fourth baboon to be run over.
“On top of that, the baboons collected by the Cape of Good SPCA are riddled with pellets.”
According to the City’s deputy mayor and Mayco member for spatial planning and environment, Eddie Andrews, the municipality cannot provide baboon rangers to monitor this troop north of Constantia Main Road due to several factors, including budget constraints.
“The City, via its Urban Baboon Programme (UBP) tender, allocates rangers to various ranges. It must be noted that troops move, join and splinter – thus, the rangers are assigned to the traditional ranges and it is not always possible to follow troops when they split and move into an entirely new range.”
Andrews commented that the tender and current extension of the Urban Baboon Programme is being operated at the maximum number of rangers allowed in line with the tender budget.
“CT2 was included in the original Urban Baboon Programme tender in the description of the various troops that require management in terms of reference within their home ranges within the Cape Peninsula.”
He further explained that, at the time of advertising and awarding of the tender in 2020, the range of the CT2 troop was within the Tokai area along with the other four troops listed.
“The ranging area for all five of these troops in the Tokai/Constantia region was effectively south of Constantia Main Road. Two teams of rangers were assigned to the north, namely Zwaanswyk/Tokai and Mountain/Constantia troops. Thus, there are no more rangers that can be allocated to the CT2 which is currently north of Constantia Main Road.”
In addition, the splinter troop CT2 moving was not envisaged when the tender was awarded, he adds.
“The greater area, especially north of Constantia Main Road, in which the baboons now move, together with the increasing number of baboons in the north, required that contingency funding, for unforeseen events, be utilised.
“When CT2 extended its range north of Constantia Main Road, two additional rangers were allocated from the contingency budget, to attempt to push the CT2 troop out of the urban space north of Constantia Main Road back into Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) and natural areas and to ideally attempt to return the troop to south of Constantia Main Road.
“However, during this period the contingency assigned rangers proved largely ineffective in these areas due to the nature of the terrain, mature trees, large private properties and close proximity to the TMNP. The lack of a buffer zone between TMNP and residential areas in this region increased the difficulty of deterring baboons substantially.”
According to Andrews, the decision to terminate the two contingency rangers to the CT2 troop in April 2022 was a management decision based on the fact that contingency funds can only be applied for short periods to assist or resolve an issue that deviates from the standard management requirements.
“Furthermore, the effectiveness of these contingency rangers during this period and their impact on the remaining contingency budget was also taken into consideration.
“It is important to note that in the extension of this existing contract with NCC until 31 December 2024 we could not change the original specifications of the tender in the Section 116 process in terms of the Municipal Finance Management Act. There is also no contingency funding allowed in the extension. Thus, unfortunately, the City cannot provide baboon rangers to monitor this troop north of Constantia Main Road.”
