Baboons in Rooiels
Baboons are not naturally aggressive towards humans or their pets. They are essentially focused on your food. For the sake of both the baboons and your sanity - remove all food opportunities. If confronted by a baboon drop the food you are carrying and they lose all interest in you. Dont give them a fright when they are in your house or they void their bowels - be sure you are not blocking their exit and calmly insist they take what they have grabbed and leave. They will protect their young if chased by a dog, but otherwise they leave dogs alone. Baboons are not predators.
Most Rooielsers love living in wild nature and sharing our world with the baboons - but we do need to take precautions and we need to avoid feeding them so we can keep living with them. "Strategies to reduce baboon-human conflict should focus on reducing the benefits to baboons of seeking human-derived foods. The overarching goal should be to prevent baboons from accessing human-derived foods. The onus is on property owners to adequately protect their property against these very adaptable, intelligent wild animals!" (Imfene Education and Conservation. See also 2023 article on the importance of wildlife-human coexistence to human survival)
A survey of the Rooiels Residents was carried out in 2021 - Link to the Quantitative Results from Baboon Coexistence survey
Earlier surveys had similar results. See some of the Information Materials on Baboons
Most Rooielsers love living in wild nature and sharing our world with the baboons - but we do need to take precautions and we need to avoid feeding them so we can keep living with them. "Strategies to reduce baboon-human conflict should focus on reducing the benefits to baboons of seeking human-derived foods. The overarching goal should be to prevent baboons from accessing human-derived foods. The onus is on property owners to adequately protect their property against these very adaptable, intelligent wild animals!" (Imfene Education and Conservation. See also 2023 article on the importance of wildlife-human coexistence to human survival)
A survey of the Rooiels Residents was carried out in 2021 - Link to the Quantitative Results from Baboon Coexistence survey
Earlier surveys had similar results. See some of the Information Materials on Baboons
A Baboon Indaba was held to discuss how best to support the coexistence model with baboons in Rooiels. The Guidelines for Coexisting with Baboons developed from the Indaba are provided below. See the full Discussion Document and Final Report on the Indaba webpage.
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For more detailed information and articles go to Baboon Research. Also of interest is the Rooiels Baboon Family Tree
The Map of the Range of the Rooiels baboon troop shows them concentrated in the village, on Klein Hangklip and up the Rooiels river where they most often sleep at night. It also shows a concentration of them at one house which was known to feed the baboons at that time. |
Feeding, shooting or harming baboons is unlawful
How to protect your home - Click hereeBe sure that you either have round turning door handle - or that you keep your doors locked at all times. They will test you! See Guidelins Below or Go to the Link on what to do to be baboon secure.
When Building -- Click here Be sure that your architect is aware to keep the baboons in mind in the design. |
What to do if they get in
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Living with them in the fynbos The baboons will always take a chance at easy pickings - our food has many more calories for less effort! If we keep them out we can continue to enjoy them all around us. We have managed to keep baboons in Rooiels eating mainly plants and very little human food.
Click here to see a delightful vimeo by John Charalambous. |
Guidelines for Coexisting with Baboons in Rooiels
based on the Baboon Indaba Discussion Document
Minimizing and managing waste
Baboons are attracted by food. Unsecured public and private waste bins in Rooiels continue to be a problem.
Options for action for home owners for effective wase management include the following:
based on the Baboon Indaba Discussion Document
Minimizing and managing waste
Baboons are attracted by food. Unsecured public and private waste bins in Rooiels continue to be a problem.
Options for action for home owners for effective wase management include the following:
- Ensure all bins are baboon proof at all times
- Ensure baboon-proof bin is firmly attached, cannot be overturned. Baboon proof bins are obtainable from [information to be added].
- Separate waste and put recyclables (plastic, glass, metal and paper) into a clear plastic bag. The Overstrand Municipality has a recycle sorting station.
Baboon-proofing homes
Options for action for builders, home owners and residents to baboon proof homes include:.
Building measures
Options for action for builders, home owners and residents to baboon proof homes include:.
Building measures
- Add clear bars to windows with spacing less than 7 cm.
- Limit window openings using commercially available devices/locks.
- Ensure that Trellidoors are baboon proof with gaps <7cm (same for shutters).
- Use extra-strength mesh-sliding doors to allow light and air come through while keeping baboon and other wild animals (e.g. snakes) out.
- If building a new house, consider providing internal access from your garage to unload your car.
- Take into account vulnerability of external features that can be damaged (e.g. roofs, gutters, aerials).
- Keep unprotected doors and windows closed and locked.
- Store food in closed places where the baboons cannot see it.
- To reduce the food on display, when eating outside, it is better to serve up the food inside.
- Lock car doors as baboons can open doors and climb into the car to search for food.
Guidance when encountering baboons in nature, on the property, or at home
Encountering baboons in nature
Encountering baboons in nature
- Don’t walk around carrying food. If walking with food from the shop, or to the beach, put it into a backpack.
- Remain calm – provided you have no food on you the baboons will just ignore you.
- Don’t purposefully get too close.
- It is not good for the baboons or for coexistence if baboons access human food. But if you are in that situation – then you must let the food drop and move away.
- If walking with your dog (dogs have to be on leashes at all times) provided the dogs do not chase them, they will be ignored by the baboons.
- Remain calm. Be sure that all doors and windows are secure to prevent entry.
- If you are sitting out there and the baboons come, provided the doors into the house are secure, just sit quietly. They will move away when they don’t see food.
- If you have food outside with you – take the food inside.
- Lift and display a walking stick, before they reach the door or even the veranda.
- If you are having a meal, throw a cloth over the food to conceal it.
- Stay calm and allow the baboon to keep whatever food is in its hands. If you panic, you may panic the baboon and it may defecate.
- Remove your dogs and keep them calm.
- Allow the baboon to take whatever it may have, then raise your arms and firmly chase it out - but don’t scream.
- Provide an exit route for the baboon/s (preferably the way they came in). Firmly encourage it to leave..... No!
- Be seen to be in control. Baboons read body language and react accordingly.
- If a baboon bares its teeth (” fear grimace”), it is scared. Continue to chase it out.
- If the troop is in your house and you become nervous, call someone to assist. (REC baboon help)
- Under no circumstance should baboons be harmed in any way, including firing crackers at them. They are a protected species in the Western Cape and harm of any kind is illegal.
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Die Burger "Bobbehane se anarisme raak teer punt in ons" an interesting perspective on how baboons rouse our emotions
While some people who have lived here for decades do not like the baboons, most, even if they find them a nuisance, get real joy in having them part of our lives – watching the youngsters play or the alpha male chastise the naughty teenagers. The research shows that for the most part tolerance for, and joy in, the baboons foraging in Rooiels increases after people have lived here for some time. As homeowners learn that to enjoy the wild nature they need to make provision for protecting their homes and to avoid situations that feed the baboons, they realise that baboons mean them no harm and accept them as integral to our way of life here.
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Joselyn Mormile and residents update the Family Tree of the Rooiels Baboon Troop.
For research information on baboons that may be of interest link to the Baboon Research page in this website.
There are various theses, articles and papers.
For research information on baboons that may be of interest link to the Baboon Research page in this website.
There are various theses, articles and papers.
spot the dog trying to make the baboon return his stolen bounty!
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This little baby was born on 4th Oct. 2016 and this photograph was taken within a few hours of birth. Click the Photograph to go to a collection of photos of the Rooiels baboon troop at play, |
Wandering through the village and down at the sea foraging for limpets.
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For the latest News about the Rooiels Troop - go to Baboon News which Joselyn will update
MANAGING BABOONS LIVING WITH US IN ROOIELS - talk given by Jenny Stark
1. Relocation: I am frequently asked if the Municipality will relocate a troublesome baboon, and the answer is almost certainly NO. The reasons for this are understandable.
First, the offending baboon must be identified unequivocally and marked. While the capture team is on the way the baboon must be kept in sight and on arrival, the team must be directed to him. Then, a vet must accompany the team (jpaid per hour), dart the animal and supervise caging. Once this is done, transport must be arranged and a safe location found for his release. Baboons cannot simply be dumped anywhere, and the farm that used to accept baboons from our area is no longer doing so. Experience has shown that when an alpha male or a dispersing male (the cheakiest of the bunch) is removed, he is quickly replaced with another. So, a very time-consuming, expensive operation is quickly rendered useless.
(ed: many of us living in Rooiels like having them around - even if we have moments when we dont!)
2. Prevention: Living in Rooi Els is not the same as living in Cape Town and it is the humans that have to adapt. First, we must keep food inaccessible to the baboons. This includes food in our homes, businesses, refuse, fruit trees and veggie gardens. If growing fresh produce is your thing, you will have to prevent baboon access (take a look at what Geoff Harris and Keith Moir have done). We have to keep our homes and shops baboon-proof ALL THE TIME and our bins baboon-proofed. It is not always convenient, but in the long run, the best way to manage baboon-human conflict (and reduce our own stress levels) is to honour the Rooiels Vision and live in harmony with the baboons. This means DO NOT FEED THEM - either deliberately or inadvertently. If building new - try to ensure that you have direct access from your garage into your house, especially if you live on the mountain or near the koppie.
3. Businesses: I know that most of the businesses in the RE CBD trade in food and this presents very real challenges.
3.1 Please keep your premises baboon-proofed and if customers want to sit outside please have staff keep an eye open for prowling baboons. Pointing a cattie at them usually does the trick, but baboons are also stealthy and so quick that incidents can happen. So,
3.2 Please make sure your customers know that they should NEVER enter into a tug-of-war with a baboon. They should know to keep bags out of sight and, if a baboon grabs a bag, they should let it go. Help them retrieve it later (with a smile). Also, reassure your customers that baboons are not predators, like lions, and they don't deliberately attack people. Provided they abide by a few ground rules, your customers are completely safe. I would just add that on the rare occasions that 2 males are fighting for dominance, it is best to stay out of the way, and keep your customers away too. This is what the baboons in the troop do and we should learn from them. Testosterone-fueled male baboons are unpredictable and aggressive.
Mock Attacks:
I was told of a baboon attacking another lady at Something Els last Sunday (26 Jan 2014).
In fact, the lady was eating a packet of nuts which a male baboon grabbed out of her hand. When she tried to grab it back, he bared his teeth at her. He also touched her on the arm. (ed. we have never had any person deliberately hurt by a baboon in Rooiels)
Please be careful about using the word 'ATTACK' . It is usually an inaccurate term and spreads a sense of fear.
In Rooi Els, we have chosen the route of trying to live in harmony with the baboons and enjoy having them here. Our neighbouring villages have chosen another way.
There are far fewer baboon-human incidents occurring in Rooi Els than in Pringle Bay, despite our baboon troop presently being double the size. So it seems to me that our way is working.
It is not easy. Of course,we have frustrating and sometimes infuriating incidents, and for those of us who are trying to run people-based businesses, it can be challenging. But, we live in a uniquely beautiful place, in a Conservancy with a noble Vision, in a Biosphere Reserve.
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE IT WORK!
Thank you to every Rooielser for making our village special. We have managed baboon-human interactions remarkably well for more than a decade now. As far as I know, we are the only village in the Western Cape that has achieved this. If we continue to work together, with perseverance, patience, humour and understanding, we will continue to make it work.
Jenny
Dr JH Stark, PhD,
Rooi Els Conservancy
Tel: 028-273-8961
Cell: 082-896-8152
Website: www.wonderlingsbandb.com
Email: jenny@wonderlingsbandb.com
