CAPE TOWN-A 13-year-old Kommetjie animal activist is hoping his letter advocating for the safety and well-being of five baboon tribes will be heard by the stakeholders who are tasked with rehoming the primates.
Joshua Wynne recently reached out to the City of Cape Town through his letter, highlighting his concerns for proposed relocation plans for the baboon tribes while offering his own solutions.
Earlier this year, it was announced that the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team, consisting of representatives from the South African National Parks (SANParks), CapeNature, and the City will remove five Cape Peninsula splinter troops after noting that the primates have "increased to the extent that it was exhausting their resources".
The baboons 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.
In the letter, which was shared with many people as well as People's Post, Wynne identifies himself as a baboon enthusiast who wants to ensure the health and safety of baboons in their natural habitat.
The trail runner says he often spots baboon tribes on his routes.
"I live in Kommetjie, very close to the mountain. I have lived here all of my life, and I just love the fact that humans can live in unison with wild animals, and the natural world. I cannot believe that us humans have not come up with solutions that don't involve killing, separating, or removing certain animals from their natural habitats," he said.
In his letter, he explains that he noticed a concerning change in the usual "monitoring" of baboons recently.
"I strongly believe that the shooting of paintballs is unnecessary and harmful towards the conservation, and monitoring of this precious species. I have come across paintballs in my yard, and juvenile baboons covered in green and yellow paint. This is both upsetting, and in my view, unacceptable," he said in his letter.
He proposes that the community should be educated by professionals who can explain the nature of baboons.
"I have personally witnessed troops being split up, and shot at from all different directions, up to the point where they are beginning to loose their hair, because of the day to day stress they are put under," he writes.
Wynne believes seeing more baboon-proof bins can also ease the tensions between the public and primates.
"There are streets littered in rubbish, posing a huge risk to baboon health, whilst also massively affecting the residents, providing them with reason to hate baboons. There have been no actions made to baboon-proof bins, and so this problem continues. I think this could be easily rectified, by simply supplying bin locks, which keep baboons away from the bins, and out of trouble."
The City says that the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team notes the letter.
"We are busy finalising the Action Plan that intends to operationalise the Cape Peninsula Baboon Strategic Management Plan and believe this will address the concerns raised by the young resident from Kommetjie."
The City could not confirm the date when the action plan will be carried out.
Wynne doesn't believe the safety plan for the baboon tribes will be successful.
"I don't think this plan will be very successful. Primarily because baboons are very fast, and agile, so the relocation of a whole troop will be a painful, completely unnecessary process for both the relocators, and the baboons. There are so many professionals who have learned and studied this species, so many activists who want to change the system, and so many caring stakeholders, who all have opinions of their own."
In response to the letter, Jennie Trethowan from Baboon Matters wrote: "Thank you for writing such a strong and well thought out letter. The baboon management is an issue that can easily be resolved and improved and I thank you for drawing that to the attention of the decision makers. Thank you, Joshua, you give me hope for the communities and baboons."