In an important step towards managing baboon interactions in urban areas, the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT) has announced that NCC Environmental Services will be providing baboon ranger services throughout December.
This initiative aims to minimise the presence of baboons in urban locations, ensuring these animals remain within their natural habitats.
In September, the Weekend Argus reported about the uncertainty around what will happen when the contracts for baboon rangers come to an end in December.
NCC Environmental Services has been employed by the City to manage the Urban Baboon Programme for December.
From 1 December to 31 December, NCC will deploy rangers to monitor baboon troops across affected regions within the Cape Peninsula. This move follows a Request for Quotation process initiated by the City, highlighting a commitment to wildlife management and conservation.
However, the initiative comes amid constraints, as funding limitations will result in a reduced number of rangers on the ground compared to previous operational periods, said the City.
In a statement released in October by Lynda Silk, chairperson of Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation (CPCC) said 76 baboon rangers have been given retrenchment notice with effect 30 November 2024.
Looking ahead, the CPBMJTT has disclosed that further initiatives are in motion for a more sustainable urban baboon management framework. This includes plans to appoint a contractor for an initial 12-month term, managed on a month-to-month basis, as well as establishing partnerships with nonprofit organisations (NPOs).
The aim is to secure grant funding and foster community involvement to support the implementation of the Baboon Strategic Management Plan.
The statement from the CPBMJTT also expressed gratitude to the communities affected by baboon activities for their continued support and collaboration.
As these strategies evolve, the Task Team pledges to keep the public informed of developments related to the urban baboon programme.
But Silk insists that “this is not a win”.
“CPCC (Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation) maintain that baboon rangers should not in any way be an interim measure. Having held this position clearly since the onset of the current baboon management review, in July we issued the City of Cape Town a Letter of Demand, pointing out their obligation to have funded baboon rangers on the Cape Peninsula indefinitely.
We reiterate – any other baboon management tools, or additional waste management interventions should be supplemental to rangers, not as a solution in itself.
“With a reduced number of rangers in service, we do not yet know if less baboon troops will be managed, fewer communities supported, or if there will be fewer rangers on ground per troop.
“Rangers together form a team that ‘hold the line’, working together to keep baboons out of the urban areas and in the green areas.”