Safe capture for baboon
FOURWAYS – The baboon that recently came to Fourways may have garnered attention on social media, but the question is where did he come from and where did he go?
Earlier this month, social media was abuzz when a baboon was seen roaming the streets of Fourways.
But where did the animal come from and where is he now?
According to an earlier article, Massive baboon spotted in Fourways is finally trapped [Week ending 15 November], the animal was first spotted in the Cedar Lakes area on 9 November by Twitter user Yusuf Abramjee. On 10 November, another Twitter user, Lyndie McCauley, saw the animal in the Bryanston area. On 12 November, the baboon had made his way to Sandton, finding his way to a balcony on the 10th floor of the Capital on the Park hotel, where volunteers of Community Led Animal Welfare (Claw) and other animal welfare organisations managed to safely trap him.
“He is a male baboon, and while it’s difficult to guess his age I’d say he’s a mature adult,” said Cora Bailey of Claw, who was closely involved in his care. “This is actually the second time this year that a baboon has found his way into the suburbs, [in January] another baboon wandered into the Northcliff area.”
Bailey explained that while baboons lived in large troops and were social animals, it was instinct for males of the troop, once they have reached a certain age, to leave their own group and they will wander until they find another troop to join.
“The male may not be ousted from his troop, although that can happen, but they will feel compelled to leave. This instinct protects the species from inbreeding.”
She added that this was what the Fourways baboon was doing, and the only reason he had wandered into the suburbs was because development has meant there were less open spaces for animals such as him to settle in. Claw became aware of his presence on 7 November and started working towards trapping the animal so that he could be safely removed from the area.
“Ideally in these sorts of situations, we don’t trap the animals at all, we let them do what they need to do,” said Bailey. “But in this case, we decided it was necessary for his own safety. In Fourways, he was in danger from things like traffic, dogs and people.”
Once the baboon had settled at the hotel, the team saw its opportunity. As he sat on the 10th-floor balcony, the volunteers set up a special trap inside the room and placed some food inside it to tempt the animal.
“Then we waited and waited and waited. We heard the trap rattling and figured out that he had gone right inside it to get the food because he was starving. Catching him was a very labour intensive task.”
After being safely trapped, the baboon was transported to Modinolle, Limpopo. He has since gone to wildlife rehabilitation organisation Prime Crew, which works to give good lives to animals which were abandoned as exotic pets or displaced indigenous wildlife.
“They checked for injuries, and are a holding facility so that the baboon has the opportunity to know where he is – you cannot just take an animal you’ve found, bring him to a new province and just let him go,” said Bailey, explaining that he would need some time to orientate himself, become familiar with a local wild troop of baboons and integrate with them a little bit before his carers could responsibly release him.
As far as Bailey is aware, the baboon is still in their care and has not yet been released, but will be in the next few weeks.
“Some people from Fourways really understood what was going on, and some really didn’t,” Bailey said of the reaction from the community. “But the thing is, he’s not the first baboon to wander into a residential area, and he won’t be the last, so residents need to cooperate.
“Animals don’t deserve to die because humans have displaced them, he has as much right to live here as we do. I believe that we have to learn to live with indigenous animals, they were here first.”
Claw is an animal welfare organisation that does not receive any government funding, and as such depends on the generosity of the public to continue its important work.
Details: Visit the Claw Facebook page @clawsouthafrica for more.
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