Cape Town Battles Against Baboons

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Benny Seagull

Active member
Jul 5, 2003
1,625
London
for those unable to make it to the world cup next year then things just got that slightly more exciting. south africa is battling with the control of baboons in and around cape town. imagine the chaos of football fans fighting primates. or is there even a difference?

:)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/6661555/South-Africa-tackles-rampaging-baboons-ahead-of-World-Cup.html

South Africa tackles rampaging baboons ahead of World Cup

The South African city of Cape Town is battling to control aggressive baboons ahead of next year's World Cup finals. Visitors to South Africa's premier holiday destination - and a World Cup 2010 venue - who are worried about becoming victims of the country's high crime rate could find themselves instead robbed by a more furry kind of felon: baboons.

The cheeky primates have learned how to open car doors and jump through windows in pursuit of tasty sandwiches and snacks.

City officials are battling to control the increasingly aggressive troupes and there are fears the problem will only worsen with the influx of visitors to Cape Town during the World Cup next year.

On Tuesday, a troupe of 29 baboons raided four cars outside Simon's Town, a small coastal neighborhood. A baboon dubbed "Fred", the leader of the group, opened unlocked doors and jumped through windows to search for food.

He ransacked a bag in the back seat of a red car as a couple panicked about their passports. A girl screamed nearby as a baboon hopped into her car through a back window. Others climbed on car roofs and hoods, looking for ways inside.

Many of those who stopped to watch the raid had their own cars broken into by other baboons.

"We spend the whole day basically rescuing tourists," said Mark Duffels, a volunteer who monitors the baboons in an effort to keep them at bay.

There are about 420 baboons in 17 troupes that roam the city's outskirts, especially the popular scenic sites along the coast. Baboons are a protected species under South African legislation but their persistent pursuit of food has led to conflict with residents.

The baboons associate humans and cars with food although people are strongly discouraged from feeding the animals.

But Justin O' Riain, head of the baboon research unit at the University of Cape Town, fears that the influx of visitors next year will only feed the primates' taste for human foods even more.

"Tourism is going to go through the roof, and this equals exposure to naive people and rich pickings," he said. "People who stop the car, they're going to get raided."

Concerned Simon's Town residents asked on Monday for a gate to be put up on the road that leads to the nearby Cape of Good Hope nature reserve.

Cars would be stopped before they enter baboon territory and given a brochure in their native language explaining why they should stay in their cars, lock their doors and close their windows if they see baboons.

"We're so anxious about tourists who can't read or understand English. It puts them at risk," said Liz Hardman, who is leading the campaign. "The perception is that the baboons are harmless and they're not. They're wild animals."

:albion2:
 




wellquickwoody

Many More Voting Years
NSC Patron
Aug 10, 2007
13,864
Melbourne
for those unable to make it to the world cup next year then things just got that slightly more exciting. south africa is battling with the control of baboons in and around cape town. imagine the chaos of football fans fighting primates. or is there even a difference?

:)



:albion2:

Just police training for next summer?
 




Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
62,312
Location Location
As an aside, has anyone seen how CHILLY its going to be at the World Cup ?
Check out the PINK line for the average temperatures in Cape Town. Could be even COLDER in Jo'burg and Durban.

image001.gif


Pack some woolies.
 


Gully

Monkey in a seagull suit.
Apr 24, 2004
16,812
Way out west
I was at Cape Point in March and saw baboons steal stuff from a car in the car park and rob a small child of his ice cream...they are pretty nasty and anything seems fair game.
 






GNF on Tour

Registered Twunt
Jul 7, 2003
1,365
Auckland
They should employ the baboons as stewards, bit like they do in Brighton.
 


KZNSeagull

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
20,996
Wolsingham, County Durham
As an aside, has anyone seen how CHILLY its going to be at the World Cup ?
Check out the PINK line for the average temperatures in Cape Town. Could be even COLDER in Jo'burg and Durban.

image001.gif


Pack some woolies.

Durban and Joburg will be hotter than tha Cape during the day, but will be colder at night. Temperature often drops to zero or lower at night in the highveld, not so low in Durban. Where I am in the Natal Midlands (about 1.5 hours inland from Durban), the temp drops below 0 during June and July every night. Suggest you take daily Vitamin C tablets or similar as the difference in temperature between day and night will be 20 degrees plus. It also gets dark and cold very quickly here, so if going out late afternoon, take warm clothes with you.

So yes, you need some woolies and definately a rain coat if you are going to the Cape!! South African establishments are not big on decent heating, by the way!!

Also watch out for Vervet Monkeys (little white ones with black faces) - they will be in your hotel room or whatever like a shot given half a chance!! Not as nasty as Baboons, but just as destructive.
 




Northstander

Well-known member
Oct 13, 2003
14,031
Anyone going should watch out for the Baboons, I have seen first hand how they can attack....its not good, dangerous little F***ers!!

Weather over world cup will be like our Spring or early summer but maybe with rain!
 




Trufflehound

Re-enfranchised
Aug 5, 2003
14,123
The democratic and free EU
Suggest you take daily Vitamin C tablets or similar as the difference in temperature between day and night will be 20 degrees plus.

I'm curious. What effect does Vitamin C have on your ability to withstand temperature fluctuations? I've not heard of this before. (I'd have thought dressing appropriately would do the job.)
 






KZNSeagull

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
20,996
Wolsingham, County Durham
I'm curious. What effect does Vitamin C have on your ability to withstand temperature fluctuations? I've not heard of this before. (I'd have thought dressing appropriately would do the job.)

It doesn't, but it can help in the prevention of colds and flu etc.

That is what I have found anyway - as soon as winter comes along, because I am used to a climate that does not have huge temperature variations, then I was getting colds all the time. Once I started taking Vit C, I rarely get them now. Just a suggestion as us Brits are used to central heating etc etc which is a rarity here.

The biggest temp variation I have experienced was June this year. It was -13 overnight, about -6 at 6:30am but by 11am it was 24.
 


Buzzer

Languidly Clinical
Oct 1, 2006
26,121
We used to have terrible problems with baboons when I lived in palaborwa up near the Mozambique border. Evil fuckers who would break into your house given half a chance. I once saw them attack hyenas and win. That takes some doing, I can tell you
 




tricky

Member
Jul 7, 2003
231
Reigate
Phalaborwa - no way! Thats where my girlfriend is from. She claims that if it wasn't for her dads gun she would've been violated by some randy baboons.
 


Ian Bairds Fist

Active member
Nov 26, 2003
867
Kingston-upon-Thames
Durban and Joburg will be hotter than tha Cape during the day, but will be colder at night. Temperature often drops to zero or lower at night in the highveld, not so low in Durban. Where I am in the Natal Midlands (about 1.5 hours inland from Durban), the temp drops below 0 during June and July every night. Suggest you take daily Vitamin C tablets or similar as the difference in temperature between day and night will be 20 degrees plus. It also gets dark and cold very quickly here, so if going out late afternoon, take warm clothes with you.

So yes, you need some woolies and definately a rain coat if you are going to the Cape!! South African establishments are not big on decent heating, by the way!!

Also watch out for Vervet Monkeys (little white ones with black faces) - they will be in your hotel room or whatever like a shot given half a chance!! Not as nasty as Baboons, but just as destructive.

Thanks for the advice. We're going to be based in Pretoria (mainly due to the central location and ease of getting to about 8 of the 10 grounds) and I understand its going to be really cold but not too wet? Apparently they get hardly any rain during June/July. Would it be asking too much to expect sunny days too??!
 




tricky

Member
Jul 7, 2003
231
Reigate
Yep, its great being so close to the kruger. I think i've seen more elephants around phalaborwa than actually in the park. Its also good to head south to God's window and the white lion project. We were thinking of renting out the house and flat in phalaborwa for the world cup as it might make a good base for games in jo'burg and pretoria but also the game parks up there.
 




KZNSeagull

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
20,996
Wolsingham, County Durham
Thanks for the advice. We're going to be based in Pretoria (mainly due to the central location and ease of getting to about 8 of the 10 grounds) and I understand its going to be really cold but not too wet? Apparently they get hardly any rain during June/July. Would it be asking too much to expect sunny days too??!

The South African definition of really cold is not the same as the British definition! Temps of 15 degrees are described on the Weather forecast as "ridiculously cold" or "freezing"!!

Unless something unusual happens, you can expect sunny days, temps of high teens, low twenties, very little if any rain, but it will be cold at night (approaching or below 0). So, could be shorts and T shirt during the day, layers at night.
 




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