Activists marched in Simon’s Town to save Cape Peninsula baboons from forced removal.
“This campaign demands accountability, not just for baboons, but for how we treat the wild spaces and beings who share this land with us,” said activist Chad Cupido, who marched with over 50 other protesters. They stood in solidarity for the safety of the baboon troops in the Southern peninsula in Simon’s Town on Friday 18 July.
At the peaceful protest, Cupido, Executive Officer at Beauty Without Cruelty, handed over a memorandum of demands advocating for the safety of some baboon troops to some of the City’s law makers and stakeholders, who reportedly plan to re-home these primates in the near future.
The campaign was led by Beauty Without Cruelty and Baboon Matters, with support from Baboon Watch and the Green Group in Simon’s Town, Cupido added.
Over 50 protesters marched in solidarity for the safety of the baboon troops in the Southern peninsula and held a peaceful protest in Simon’s Town on Friday 18 July. Photo: Brenton Geach. 
“We marched not just for baboons, but for the values of justice, coexistence, and ethical governance,” Chad Cupido. Photos: supplied 
The Cape Baboon Partnership confirmed that a popular baboon known as ‘Blondie’ was found with an air rifle pellet in his chest. Here he was pictured in Elsie’s Park on Saturday 29 March this year.
“The purpose of the march was to demand an immediate halt to the proposed removal of five baboon troops and to urge the City of Cape Town and its partners to implement long-promised non-lethal mitigation measures.
“We marched not just for baboons, but for the values of justice, coexistence, and ethical governance. The City and its partners have failed to implement basic mitigation measures, yet they’re prepared to kill entire troops,” he said.
The activists are also calling on the City to implement proper waste management, baboon-proof fencing, enforcement of by-laws, and prosecution of known offenders who attract or harm baboons.
“If these demands are not met, we will continue to apply pressure through legal channels, public mobilisation, and media engagement. This is about more than just baboons — it’s about ethical, evidence-based governance and respect for the wildlife who belong to this land as much as we do,” he said.
Last month, the City confirmed that the planned removal of the baboon troops will be carried out by the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT), which includes the City, Cape Nature, Table Mountain National Park and the South African National (SAN) Parks.
Some of the baboon troops roam around Constantia Nek, Kirstenbosch, Murdoch Valley, Welcome Glen and Glencairn.
CPBMJTT previously said that their intention was to: “ensure the Cape Peninsula has a baboon population that is well-managed, healthy and free ranging in the natural areas” and remove five splinter troops.
The troops could be removed in the following methods: translocation for rewilding, capture and removal to an existing sanctuary or to a newly established sanctuary, humane euthanasia, or a combination of these options, the City confirmed in June.
People’s Post received a copy of the memorandum of concerns which highlighted the activists’ main demands.
The memorandum states the activists’ concerns stem from a media statement issued by the JTT in May declaring their intention to remove five baboons troops from the Cape Peninsula.
“We call upon the JTT to implement: area specific strategic baboon proof electric fences and investigate and prosecute repeat offenders who are suspected of shooting baboons with air rifles,” the memorandum reads.
Fellow activist and spokesperson at the Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation Lynda Silk, who joined the march, said was a strong turnout in Simon’s Town.
“The march was a clear sign that people care deeply about the future of the Cape Peninsula’s baboons. Right now, decisions are being made that could result in the killing of a quarter of Cape Town’s managed baboon population. Instead of removals, the new working partnership could be investing in buffer zones and ecological corridors that facilitate wildlife and people to coexist.
“These baboons are not alien intruders but residents of a rapidly shrinking wild world who were here long before our cityscape,” she said.
The memorandum demands a formal response to their concerns within ten days and prior to a final decision to remove the five troops.
The CPBMJTT told People’s Post that they received the organisers’ memorandum on Saturday 19 July but said that they had no further comment at this stage.
SAN Parks could not provide a response before going to print.
