Baboon management must be strict

Writer: De Waal Steyn.

The Hermanus Baboon Action Group (HBAG) has once again called on residents and visitors to behave responsibly in their interactions with baboons.

“The Hermanus troops have an abundance of all their natural foraging foods available in the Fernkloof Nature Reserve and they play an essential role in the ecosystem of the reserve through mainly seed dispersal,” said HBAG spokesperson Pat Redford.

According to her, the preservation of this remarkable, highly adaptable and opportunistic species lies in ensuring they live safely and naturally in the environment where they have existed for hundreds of years.

“Baboons do not deserve to become roadkill or die a slow and painful death after being poisoned, shot, or mauled by dogs. A multipronged approach to preserving the environment in which they live and preserving the species must be met with stricter refuse management, broader awareness and education at all levels. In HBAG we have been consistent in our efforts, against all odds, to carry out much of this voluntarily, for more than a year. We hope we can enable the troops to live safely with reduced human threat and minimal interaction, as all ‘authentic’ wild animals should,” she said.

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