Cape Town’s city council has announced plans to “imminently” round up two chacma baboon troops, sterilize them, and permanently relocate them to a newly constructed sanctuary. This decision comes amidst repeated conflicts between the animals and city residents, but has been met with strong criticism from animal rights activists who argue for coexistence and alternative management strategies.
The city’s baboon issue has intensified over the past two years, though it has been a growing concern since the 2000s, following the cessation of baboon culling in the late 1990s due to public pressure. A 2025 census revealed a significant population increase, with the number of baboons growing by a third from 360 in 2000 to 493, now organized into 12 managed troops.
This population boom has led to troops of chacma baboons on the Cape Peninsula regularly damaging property by ripping off roof sheeting, entering unlocked cars, and raiding food pantries. Residents in areas like Simon’s Town report baboons staying out late into the night to break into homes and convenience stores for snacks, making activities like barbecues and garden parties difficult due to the marauding animals.
Justin O’Riain, a behavioural ecologist at the University of Cape Town who has extensively studied local baboons, highlighted the economic impact. “It’s depreciated property values because it’s hard to sell a house when it’s covered in baboon faeces and paw prints, and you know they’re coming every day,” O’Riain stated.
The geographical layout of the Cape Peninsula contributes significantly to the problem. This narrow strip of land, stretching from the city centre to Cape Point, confines baboons between the protected, steep terrain of Table Mountain National Park and the expansive urban development reaching the Atlantic Ocean. Joselyn Mormile, who leads the Cape Baboon Partnership (CBP), a non-profit working with the city on baboon management, explained, “The underlying issue is that baboons will seek low-lying land. That is their natural drive – it’s better access to water and more productive vegetation. But throughout the peninsula, we’ve developed most of those places. It’s a constant battle between the two.”
The city’s baboon management program is costly, amounting to approximately 20 million rand (£920,000) over 18 months, which includes funding for full-time rangers to monitor most troops and prevent conflicts. The initial 2025 management plan by the CBP proposed moving four troops to a sanctuary, but this was revised to target two specific troops, Waterfall and Seaforth. The other two troops in the northern section of the peninsula will be given “the benefit of the doubt to see if they can adjust in that remaining space,” Mormile added, expressing belief they could “settle quite nicely.” In addition to the troop relocation, a baboon-proof northern boundary fence is planned between urban areas and nearby mountains.
Animal rights activists, who have been conducting peaceful protests for months, along with some scientists, propose building a fence to exclude the Waterfall and Seaforth troops from urban areas instead of removing them entirely. However, O’Riain countered this suggestion, noting that baboons would likely simply move to the next low-lying area where the fence ends, as there is insufficient food behind the proposed southern fenced area.
Opponents of the relocation also argue that removing the baboons would cause long-term psychological distress and social disruption among the animals. They also emphasize the baboons’ important ecological role in dispersing plant seeds. Chacma baboons are not considered endangered, but their welfare is already a concern, with reports of baboons being poisoned, hit by cars, chased by dogs, and shot.
O’Riain voiced strong concern about the current situation: “No one should ever shoot a baboon, but if people feel the authorities are not doing anything, they will take action – and that action is never nice.” He recounted a recent incident: “Just a few days ago, a baboon was shot straight through the chest.” He also questioned the sustainability of the current approach, asking, “How many more millions of rand are we going to throw into these troops only to end up in exactly the same place in another 10 years’ time? Which is shocking baboon welfare, shocking baboon health, and a very poor quality of life for the people who are living in these areas.”
