Cape Town has finalised a R27m plan to relocate baboon troops into sanctuaries and behind fences, but animal welfare groups walked out of the announcement meeting, accusing authorities of announcing decisions to the media before consulting stakeholders.
The Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (joint task team) has finalised the Final Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Action Plan to manage the region's baboon population. However, the 20 November announcement has triggered debate over consultation processes, scientific methodology, financial sustainability and the fundamental disagreement persists over whether humans and baboons can coexist in urban areas.
The joint task team, which includes representatives from SANParks, CapeNature, and the City of Cape Town, adopted a strategy that includes relocating multiple baboon troops, constructing R27-million worth of fencing and sanctuary infrastructure, and imposing strict population caps.
The task team claims the plan addresses an "untenable situation" where they say the baboon population has nearly doubled since 2000, while the natural habitat has shrunk. Animal welfare organisations counter that the plan treats symptoms rather than addressing root causes such as waste management and human behaviour.
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The action plan's core elements
Four baboon troops will be removed from urban areas. The Seaforth troop, with about 16 baboons, according to the 2024 population census, will be captured and relocated to a newly established sanctuary by February 2026, with all healthy males vasectomised.
The plan lists the alpha male of the Seaforth troop...
