Stay baboon-proof this season

With the summer season in full swing it is important for residents and visitors alike to ensure that none of the baboon troops living on our urban edges are drawn to the suburbs by the potential food sources left behind in household rubbish.

Over the past few years residents in the affected areas in Hermanus especially have experienced constant home invasions and extensive damage has been caused by the large Voëlklip troop. The troop has become increasingly habituated to suburbia and troop size has increased significantly over the past three years, said Pat Redford, Hermanus Baboon Action Group spokesperson.

Easy access to human-derived food has caused the troop to spend most of their waking hours in high density suburbia, a pattern of behaviour not previously witnessed. Foraging in the Fernkloof Nature Reserve on the abundant natural bounty is what would be “normal behaviour” for these wild animals. The growth in permanent residents and the increased use of holiday homes has multiplied the amount of refuse and the availability of human-derived food.

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