2018’s first victim of Cape Town’s flawed protocol for “removing” problem baboons has been killed. Dodger was a young dispersing male from the Slangkop troop who first showed up in the Da Gama troop home range in October. Dispersing to new troops is vital to keep troop gene pools strong – even more so on the Peninsula where traditional migration routes on or off the Peninsula have long been cut off by urban sprawl.

2018’s first victim of Cape Town’s flawed protocol for “removing” problem baboons has been killed. Dodger was a young dispersing male from the Slangkop troop who first showed up in the Da Gama troop home range in October. Dispersing to new troops is vital to keep troop gene pools strong – even more so on the Peninsula where traditional migration routes on or off the Peninsula have long been cut off by urban sprawl.

Perhaps, we can put aside outdated categorizations of baboons; perhaps if we stop vilifying them and instead work towards comprehensive solutions, we can find a way to live alongside each other?

How is it possible that despite a budget of R10 million pa, well-resourced staff and the full support of the Baboon Technical Team members (being the City of Cape Town, Table Mountain National Park, Cape Nature, the Baboon Research Unit of UCT and the Cape of Good Hope SPCA) baboons are still “raiding” in villages?

Being a Baboon Dad A beautiful image of George Baboon posted on the Baboon Matters page on Father’s Day got me thinking about what it’s like to be a baboon father. Chacma baboons live in strictly hierarchical families and while it may be tough being a low ranking...

Raccoon and Baboon: Not so different On a recent trip to Toronto it dawned on me that the Raccoon is to Toronto what the Baboon is to Cape Town. Though smaller, some say cuter, and found in much larger numbers, the raccoon is at the centre of animal-human conflict in...

5 Ways to Be a Responsible Tourist & Help Keep Wildlife Wild   The summer months are finally here in the Northern Hemisphere and many are feverishly planning out their next vacation. Whether traveling locally or abroad, the vast majority of tourists have one...

Written by Wynter Worsthorne February 2017 Over the last few weeks there have been a number of issues around the welfare of wild animals which have left me realizing that the conservation of wildlife in South Africa has nothing to do with the welfare of the animals...

Any of our readers that work in animal welfare or conservation will appreciate the highs and lows that come with the territory. For us, this week has been a prime example. Farmers have a tough job fraught with all kinds of risks. Their margins are small and they must...