- The Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team has announced plans to extend baboon ranger services for the festive season through a temporary contract.
- Residents express frustration over a lack of transparency about long-term solutions.
- Efforts are underway to secure a permanent contractor and involve a non-profit in future baboon management.
An announcement by the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT) to secure baboon rangers for the festive season and beyond has left residents with mixed reactions.
The CPBMJTT, consisting of representatives from SANParks, CapeNature, and the City of Cape Town revealed their plans to secure the services of baboon rangers for December and January next year.
This after informing residents, living in baboon-affected areas, that the baboon ranger contracts would be coming to an end in November (“Baboon rangers dropped,” People’s Post, 11 September).
Processes underway
According to the CPBMJTT, several processes are underway to enable the presence of baboon rangers in coming months. “The first is a short-term solution, in the form of a Request for Quotation (RFQ) process, to ensure a presence of baboon rangers during the festive season. The RFQ is being advertised by the City of Cape Town this week as a temporary measure only,” the statement read. “The second is an interim solution, namely to appoint a contractor for a 12-month period, on a month-to-month basis.”
In June this year, the CPBMJTT held meetings with residents from baboon-affected areas about the Cape Peninsula Baboon Strategic Management Plan (CPBSMP), its implementation, and the development of area-based solutions in cooperation with the individual communities.
The preferred long-term solution, to be finalised, is reportedly a partnership with a non-profit organisation that can receive grant funding from the CPBMJTT partners, as well as funding and donations from external sources such as affected communities and the general public.
“The NPO is to perform selected operational and other tasks needed in implementing the Baboon Strategic Management Plan,” the statement read.
“The above steps are underway with urgency and intent as we are transitioning to a more sustainable urban baboon programme which involves communities, as well as the parties to the CPBMJTT.
‘Kept in the dark’
Simon’s Town resident Peter Willis, who attended up to four public meetings regarding baboon management, says it is disappointing that residents are in essence still kept in the dark.
“My great regret is the way the CPBMJTT has gone about its business, since its inception two years ago, is how little they take the residents into their confidence,” said Willis. “We are approaching the end of October and rangers contracts are ending 30 November but we effectively know nothing.”
Given the high level of public concern, he believes authorities could have done more.
“My understanding is that there is significant action going on and prep behind the scenes within the CPBMJTT but I’m moderately confident that they will come up with something,” Willis added. “I think given the risks involved, not having rangers and the high level of public concern about the baboons, I think the authorities could have done more to bring the residents into their confidence to calm people’s nerves around the issue. At the moment, we are left guessing.”
Future uncertain
Lynda Silk, chair of Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation (CPCC), a non-profit organisation (NPO) commented that the public still has no clue what the baboon management is transitioning to.
“For 28 months, the public has been told of a transition in baboon management,” she said. “At this time, there is still no advertised process in place to employ baboon rangers for January. It is a fact that 76 baboon rangers have been given retrenchment notices.”
She added that the CPBMJTT is yet to announce any processes in place for January next year.
“The City of Cape Town said that they would announce in the third week of November who had been awarded the RFQ bid to provide baboon rangers for December, which would leave only a week for the selected service provider to secure staff and prepare practically, including ordering necessary vehicles, equipment, stock and uniforms,” said Silk. “Just because a plan is in place does not mean the plan is practically workable.”
