Animal rights activists have approached the Western Cape High Court to hold authorities accountable regarding ‘the welfare of Cape Peninsula baboons’.
This is also in response to ‘negligence’ and failure to solve the ‘decade-old conflict’ affecting baboons and residents in the Cape Peninsula, as recently reported by People’s Post via News24.
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In a public Facebook post made on 3 May by Baboon Matters, a non-profit organisation that specialises in the conservation of baboons in South Africa, the group stated that legal action had been taken against the relevant ‘authorities’.
This included the City of Cape Town, SANParks, Table Mountain National Park, Western Cape Nature Conservation Board, the South African Navy and the Minister of Environmental Affairs.
‘In response to the prolonged, unresolved and rapidly escalating human-baboon conflict on the Cape Peninsula, legal action is being pursued against the authorities for their failure to implement agreed-upon strategies to address the situation,’ the Facebook post stated.
Activist Ryno Engelbrecht, Jenni Trethowan, the founder of Baboon Matters, and Beauty Without Cruelty SA are among the applicants that have been listed in a notice of motion application that was issued at the Western Cape High Court on Thursday, 2 May.
Trethowan has claimed that the lack of co-operation and ongoing disagreements among the relevant authorities regarding their roles, responsibilities, mandates and application of budgets has resulted in the ‘failure to discharge their statutory obligations’.
There is, however, a general agreement that baboons should thrive in natural habitats rather than human-occupied areas and proposed mitigation measures.
These measures include reducing attractants, enforcing bylaws, deploying trained rangers and implementing strategically placed baboon-proof electric fencing.
‘All of this has been researched and agreed on for more than 23 years, and has only been partially implemented, if at all,’ said Trethowan.
The applicants have requested ‘baboon-proof fences, appropriate baboon-proof bins, traffic calming measures and insulation of electric power lines at no cost to residents’.
The continuation of the Urban Baboon Programme, which is set to be ‘terminated’ on 31 December 2024, has also been requested by the applicants.
Areas that have been affected include Simon’s Town, Welcome Glen, Da Gama Park, Seaforth, Kommetjie, Scarborough, Ocean View, Misty Cliffs, Tokai, Zwaanswyk, Constantia and Cape Point.
Trethowan has also further alleged that the failure of authorities to act has resulted in the mistreatment, criminalisation, harm and death of baboons, all while residents face damage to property.
‘This extremely ill-considered and irresponsible decision underscores the urgent need for intervention and legal action, which is being taken by the applicants to hold the authorities accountable,’ said Trethowan.
‘If the solutions are not implemented we can expect the conflict situation to continue with an even higher death rate of the baboons and increasing damage to property and frustration from residents,’ Trethowan added.
The Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team that consists of SANParks, Cape Nature and the City has stated that they will ‘respond via the courts’.
Also read:
Public input invited on Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Plan
Picture: Baboon Matters / Facebook