- 'Draconian' Vietnam internet law heightens free speech fears
- Israeli women mobilise against ultra-Orthodox military exemptions
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate worries
- Tens of thousands protest in Serbian capital over fatal train station accident
- Trump vows to 'stop transgender lunacy' as a top priority
- Daniels throws five TDs as Commanders down Eagles, Lions and Vikings win
- 'Who's next?': Misinformation and online threats after US CEO slaying
- Only 12 trucks delivered food, water in North Gaza Governorate since October: Oxfam
- Langers edge Tiger and son Charlie in PNC Championship playoff
- Explosive batsman Jacobs gets New Zealand call-up for Sri Lanka series
- Holders PSG edge through on penalties in French Cup
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin to talk gas deliveries
- Daniels throw five TDs as Commanders down Eagles
- Atalanta fight back to take top spot in Serie A, Roma hit five
- Mancini admits regrets over leaving Italy for Saudi Arabia
- Run machine Ayub shines as Pakistan sweep South Africa
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin
- Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 35
- 'Incredible' Liverpool must stay focused: Slot
- Maresca 'absolutely happy' as title-chasing Chelsea drop points in Everton draw
- Salah happy wherever career ends after inspiring Liverpool rout
- Three and easy as Dortmund move into Bundesliga top six
- Liverpool hit Spurs for six, Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth
- Netanyahu vows to act with 'force, determination' against Yemen's Huthis
- Mbappe back from 'bottom' as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- Ali hat-trick helps champions Ahly crush Belouizdad
- France kept on tenterhooks over new government
- Salah stars as rampant Liverpool hit Spurs for six
- Syria's new leader says all weapons to come under 'state control'
- 'Sonic 3' zips to top of N.America box office
- Rome's Trevi Fountain reopens to limited crowds
- Mbappe strikes as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- 'Nervous' Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- Pope again condemns 'cruelty' of Israeli strikes on Gaza
- Lonely this Christmas: Vendee skippers in low-key celebrations on high seas
- Troubled Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- 2 US pilots shot down over Red Sea in 'friendly fire' incident: military
- Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth, Chelsea held at Everton
- France awaits fourth government of the year
- Germany pledges security inquest into Christmas market attack
- Death toll in Brazil bus crash rises to 41
- Joshua bout only fight left for beaten Fury says promoter Hearn
- Odermatt stays hot to break Swiss World Cup wins record
- Neville says Rashford's career at Man Utd nearing 'inevitable ending'
- Syria's new leader vows not to negatively interfere in Lebanon
- Germany pledges security inquest after Christmas market attack
- Putin vows 'destruction' on Ukraine after Kazan drone attack
- Understated Usyk seeks recognition among boxing legends
- France awaits appointment of new government
- Cyclone Chido death toll rises to 94 in Mozambique
As baboons become bolder, Cape Town battles for solutions
On a sunny afternoon in Cape Town’s seaside village of Simon’s Town, three young chacma baboons cause a commotion, clambering on roofs, jumping between buildings and swinging on the gutters.
Enchanted tourists stop to photograph the troop crossing the road. Locals are less impressed: it’s a daily scene in the charming village nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain National Park.
About 500 chacma baboons -- among the largest monkey species and weighing up to 40 kilos (88 pounds) -- roam the peninsula south of Cape Town, says the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
And as human development pushes up the mountain into their natural habitat, the animals are increasingly entering plush properties to forage in gardens and take the pickings from the bins. Some manage to sneak into houses where they can wreak havoc.
Many locals are fond of the creatures, giving them pet names and following their daily adventures on social media.
But others are increasingly frustrated.
"They've become so bold now. They’re more domesticated than they should be," said Duncan Low, 60, who runs an ice cream shop.
The intruders have even started raiding kitchens and grabbing food from plates in restaurants. "They’re on a sugar and fast-food rush," Low said.
In 2021, the city put down a notorious alpha-male monkey who had terrorised residents with more than 40 raids for food in rubbish bins, from lawns and porches, sometimes entering homes while people were inside.
- Monkey management -
Tension between humans and baboons is "the highest it’s ever been", said ecologist Justin O’Riain, who directs the Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa at the University of Cape Town.
A baboon on the edge of a wild and an urban area is "the most difficult animal in the world to manage", O’Riain said.
"They are strong, they can climb… and they can learn from each other: there's no landscape that they can't conquer."
As human settlement of the Cape has expanded, the baboons have been "pushed higher and higher up the mountain" where foraging conditions are harder, O’Riain added.
The lush gardens that people have built, with fruit trees and swimming pools, are tempting attractions.
The City of Cape Town, in partnership with park authorities, has for years run a programme to manage the marauding monkeys that relies on teams of baboon monitors.
They employ a primarily non-lethal approach, O’Riain said.
However, some techniques, such as firing paintball guns to keep troops away or culling a particularly problematic animal, have come under fire.
Amid an increasingly emotional outcry, vociferous campaigner Baboon Matters announced court action against the city and parks authorities in May for failing to implement what it considers more acceptable control measures, such as baboon-proof fencing and bins.
Facing criticism and funding limits, the authorities said the baboon management programme would be wound down by the end of the year as they investigate other "more sustainable urban solutions".
It will however remain in place through December -- a particularly busy month for tourists -- but with fewer rangers, it said.
"We're going to lose our first line of defence," O’Riain said, with more baboons already entering urban areas often at risk to their lives.
- Deaths highest in 10 years -
Thirty-three baboons were known to have died between July 2023 and June 2024, the highest number in 10 years, city authorities say.
Nearly half the deaths were caused by human factors, including shooting with pellet guns, collisions with vehicles and dog attacks.
Coexistence with baboons should come with "a degree of human compliance", starting with managing food waste, conservation activist Lynda Silk, head of the Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation group, said.
"We don't need to be in competition with our natural resources: there can be ways that we can manage our lifestyles to minimise the negative impacts," she said.
For O’Riain, the only viable solution to the baboon battle is to erect fencing in certain areas that is made up of electric wiring and underground mesh to prevent the animals from digging underneath.
A prototype installed 11 years ago had shown great success, with almost no animals entering the area, he said. A 2023 report already suggested where the fencing should be placed.
"Baboons can come and forage right up to the edge of the fence and no one will disturb them," said O’Riain.
"It's a completely peaceful interaction, a win-win for people and for baboons."
M.A.Colin--AMWN