- The Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team has confirmed baboon ranger services for the festive season, but with a 25% reduction in personnel.
- Communities worry about the impact of fewer rangers on baboon management in urban areas.
- Efforts are underway to create a more sustainable long-term programme.
The Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT) confirmed in a statement last week that baboon ranger services will be provided for the festive period, until Tuesday 31 December.
The CPBMJTT consisting of representatives from SANParks, CapeNature, and the City of Cape Town made the announcement after uncertainty due to pending baboon ranger contracts (“Baboons rangers dropped by City,” People’s Post, 23 October 2023).
“The City of Cape Town has appointed NCC through a Request for Quotation process to ensure a presence of baboon rangers from 1 December until 31 December in an effort to keep troops out of the urban area and in their natural environment as far as possible,” the statement read.
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However, due to limited funding the number of rangers monitoring the baboon troops during this time will be less than before,” a joint statement read.
“The CPBMJTT can confirm that other processes are under way to facilitate the transition to a more sustainable urban baboon programme, which involves communities, as well as the parties to the CPBMJTT.”
The processes underway include appointing a contractor for a 12-month period, on a month-to-month basis, as an interim solution.
“The CPBMJTT wants to thank affected communities for their ongoing support. We will keep the public informed of our progress in finalising the above processes.”
Already reduced
Lynda Silk, chair of the Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation (CPCC) a registered non profit fostering harmonious relationships between communities and biodiversity, said the reduction of rangers is a crushing blow.
“This news is crushing, 25% less baboon rangers on the Peninsula following an already reduced service,” she commented. “At this time we don’t know if this reduced number of baboon rangers in service translates to fewer baboon troops managed.”
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She further added a reduction in rangers meant shortened hours would further compromise their ability to keep baboons out of the urban areas.
“Without a full ranger complement, baboons may well roam across the peninsula through urban areas they have not frequented for a long time,” she said.
“As communities wait to hear the impact on them, baboon rangers, many of whom are supporting eight or nine people on their salary, wait to hear if they might be among the staff selected for another one month of service.”
Silk concluded that the CPCC will be taking further independent legal advice.
