![Themba was bitten by dogs, but saved by Preggo]()
Themba was bitten by dogs, but saved by Preggo
I am very proud of the two teams of 3 men and our transport provider Andile! The men work so very hard to keep the CT2 baboons safely in Cecelia Forest and by doing so reduce conflicts when residents get annoyed and frustrated by the unwelcome baboons. There can be no doubt that the teams have achieved high levels of success all of which is accomplished without resorting to use of pain aversion.
It is noteworthy that our teams do not have long term job security as we are entirely dependent on public funding to keep the men employed; it is also noteworthy that baboons are exceptionally wily and opportunistic and will take any slim chance to race down the steep terrain to attempt to get easy food rewards from garbage bins in the urban area.
Yesterday I spent a delightful hour or two with Mzukisi’s team and we chatted about two of the young female baboons who often sneak away from the troop to attempt to get easy food in the urban area. In the past the appointed service providers would probably have noted the girls as being problematic and they may well have been killed in terms of the guidelines, but our teams are determined that this will not happen and despite their already long hours and the many kilometres they walk daily, they do not hesitate to walk that extra distance to go and get Preggo and Sassie and bring them back to the troop.
In light of the work and success of the project, you can imagine our extreme concern when, at a meeting hosted by the Joint Task Team, we were told that there are only three options for the CT2 troop – to be relocated, to be euthanised or to be controlled by contraception.
The series of community based meetings are “information sessions” so that specific communities can have their say in determining the management of baboons. The Joint Task Team is made up of representatives of City of Cape Town, SANparks, TMNP and Cape Nature. The JTT has gone from area to area outlining the same strategies that have been identified and supported – but not implemented – over the past 20 years. At the specific CT2 meeting, the CoCT manager stated that CT2 was not considered to be in a viable area and outlined the troops options, noting that relocation is probably not feasible and that contraception is considered “unethical” – leaving only euthanasia. We cannot call the killing of an entire, healthy troop of baboons euthanasia, the JTT is talking about killing the troop.
We are deeply concerned that the JTT has abandoned management of the troop to us but has not engaged with us, and that they do not acknowledge the success the monitors are having.
We have issued a Letter of Demand to all relevant parties demanding that no baboon troops are relocated or killed while we resolve the legal action we have started to ensure effective mitigation strategies are implemented.
In the meantime, Mzukisi, Fisa, Kuluza, Benson, Donovan and Nkululeko continue to work with compassion, understanding and determination to keep their charges safe.
I was delighted to hear Donovan singing the lines of the song "Pretty Woman" to Preggo! The guys all think Preggo is a very pretty baboon and say that although she is naughty, she is also very brave. Recently the baboons had been peacefully foraging in trees when an irate resident shot rock hard paintballs at the troop to chase the baboons away; within seconds mayhem had erupted - as the baboons scattered and ran from the painful projectiles the resident’s dogs attacked young juvenile Themba; Preggo heard her screams and immediately ran back and snatched badly bitten Themba from the dogs, in the process suffering a number of nasty bites herself . Quinton (the alpha male) ran into the fray and a few angry barks for the big lad scared the dogs, and gave the injured baboons enough time to get away.
After the traumatic incident, Quinton would not allow the vet close enough to dart either Preggo or Themba, and although it was clear the little juvenile was in a great deal of pain we were unable to provide veterinary relief; it was very hard to know that the entire situation had been avoidable if the resident had allowed the monitors to do their work but I am glad to report that both Themba and Preggo have recovered from their dog bites and are doing well.
The illegal use of the terrible paintballs has been reported and we hope action will be taken to fine the resident.
Clearly, managing baboons in such a tough urban situation is taxing and we are so very grateful for your on-going support, without your contributions we would not be able to continue with the project, the men would be unemployed and the troop at extreme risk.
We hope that on 10 July 2024 you will participate in the GlobalGiving fund matching campaign whereby donations of $100 and upwards stand a chance of being matched by GlobalGiving. It would be great if you can get your donation in as early as possible on the day so that the CT2 troop will gain an added boost in funds.
Thank you so much for all your help. From all of us at CT2
![Pretty Preggo and her first baby]()
Pretty Preggo and her first baby
![Our cheerful, hardworking teams]()
Our cheerful, hardworking teams
![Youngsters at play on the mountain]()
Youngsters at play on the mountain
![Safely on the mountain and away from residents.]()
Safely on the mountain and away from residents.