Many see baboons as an iconic, playful part of Cape Town’s wild landscape, but others view them as pests that raid bins, climb onto roofs, and enter people’s homes. Now the city wants to permanently enclose about 60 of them, targeting two troops on the Cape Peninsula, a proposal that has triggered angry protests.
Simon’s Town resident Sue-Anne Norton says the baboons are wild animals that should not be caged or fenced in, warning some could kill themselves trying to escape. The city argues the animals have become increasingly dependent on urban areas, creating conflict with residents and compromising their own welfare.
Officials say relocating them to another wild environment was considered but would be ecologically damaging, leaving a purpose-built urban wildlife centre as the alternative.
Al Jazeera’s Lou Browne reports.
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