Uproar over Cape Peninsula's proposal to remove baboons

A MAJOR conservation controversy is brewing in the Western Cape after authorities announced plans to remove five baboon groups from the Cape Peninsula representing approximately a quarter of the region's managed baboon population.

- TRACY-LYNN RUITERS

The proposal was disclosed following the latest meeting of the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT), a multi-agency task force comprising SANParks, CapeNature, and the City of Cape Town. The Cape Peninsula Baboon Advisory Group (CPBAG), a civic advisory body of residents' associations and conservation organisations, was also in attendance.

The affected groups and their most recent recorded numbers from June 2024 are:

■Waterfall troop, Simon's Town - 42 baboons

■Seaforth troop, Simon's Town - 16 baboons

■CT1 troop, Constantia - 41 baboons

■CT2 troop, Constantia - 18 baboons

■Da Gama “Creamies”, Glencairn - 4 baboons

Together, the groups account for 121 baboons out of an estimated 490 living on the Peninsula.

According to the CPBMJTT, the proposal stems from a combination of factors: the troops' limited access to natural habitat, poor welfare conditions, and a significant increase in conflict with residents.