By Jenni Trethowan | Founder member
Help Baboon Matters help baboons – Report April 2024
In recent months Baboon Matters has had to focus all attention and energy on what seems like one crisis after another where baboons have been poisoned, injured by dogs and pellet guns or killed by vehicles. In addition, there have been extensive wildfires in some areas and the impact of landscape change and loss of natural vegetation had to be assessed.
Baboon Matters is working hard on long term goals and finalizing our legal documents in order to gain a court application to have this long outstanding matter resolved so that the relevant authorities are held accountable to their statutory roles and mandates.
On the Cape peninsula we note with alarm that as a result of the high death rate there is now a significant decline in the numbers of mature breeding female baboons in some troops. In particular the Da Gama Park troop was noted to have had 9 recorded adult females in 1999 (the first official counts undertaken by Kansky and Gaynor), at the last official count in 2023 (undertaken by the City of Cape contracted staff) there were again 9 adult female baboons recorded, meaning that there has been no increase in the numbers of female baboons reaching maturity in the 24 years of population counts. But further to that is the fact that 4 adult females of the Da Gama park troop have been killed in recent months, it is extremely concerning to note this decline in a managed troop of baboons.
We have been advocating for prosecutions of known shooters as the numbers of baboons being shot and killed is unacceptably high and every baboon receiving vet care is x-rayed and found to have multiple pellet and even bullets in their bodies.
The goal of this project is to supply emergency rescue packs so that baboons (and other wildlife) can receive emergency veterinary treatment when in need and to this end we are busy sourcing suitable suppliers so that we can have necessary equipment made to our specifications.
Thank you for your on-going support, we rely on your contributions to help us to help baboons.
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