In the 4 September edition of Hermanus Times there was a report about a male baboon that was shot dead on 24 August in Pringle Bay (“Baboon shot and killed”).
Only a month later another baboon was found dead in Betty’s Bay.
“On Sunday 22 September, in the late afternoon, a resident of Betty’s Bay contacted Overstrand Municipality after finding a dead adult female baboon in her driveway,” said Dean O’Neill Municipal Manager of the Overstrand Municipality.
“A veterinarian conducted an investigation and found an entry wound from a pellet gun on the side of the chest. It is suspected that she died from respiratory failure because the pellet had punctured her lung.
“Residents are reminded that the OM holds the necessary permits and training to implement its baboon adaptive management plan. It is an offence to hunt a baboon without authorisation. Such illegal activities could result in penalties such as a fine not exceeding R10 000 or to two years’ imprisonment, or to both such fine and imprisonment.”
According to O’Neill there has been a slight rise in baboon sightings on the mountain side in Onrus North, along with a small increase in town incursions and raids by individual baboons, over the past month.
“After addressing complaints from Berghof Estate, we advised that the residents also acquire baboon-proof bins or baboon proofing their existing bins to reduce these incidents.
“Onrus is included in the Waste Management By-law, which stipulates that each owner or occupier must use animal-proof containers in areas identified by the municipality as problem animal areas,” he said.
