Baboon management is getting a big boost along the Cape Peninsula thanks to a new team nominated by different communities, ratepayers and animal welfare institutions.
Cape Town, South Africa (17 February 2025) — A new team have officially taken their places at the helm of strategic and sustainable baboon management along the Cape Peninsula.
Dubbed the Cape Peninsula Baboon Advisory Group or CPBAG, the team is undertaking important tasks to do with community safety and wildlife wellbeing which will see them advise and support the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT) and the framework of the Cape Peninsula Baboon Strategic Management Plan.
This plan provides the framework for the sustainable management of the area’s Chacma baboon population, and is to be implemented and elaborated upon with area-based solutions developed jointly with affected communities.
All this comes as a response to the Chacma baboon challenge—a wildlife family whose management sorely needed support from authorities.
With intentional nudges from baboon activists, non-profits and communities, the ball slowly but surely got rolling in a bid for both people and baboons to co-exist in a more peaceful way.
The CPBAG team then, comes as a welcomed response for many.
In a joint statement from SANParks, Cape Nature and the City of Cape Town, it was shared that the members of CPBAG were nominated by their respective communities, ratepayers’ associations, stakeholders, academic and research institutions as well as animal welfare institutions and organisations with a direct interest in baboon management on the Cape Peninsula.
These members are:
- Luana Pasanisi, representing Green Group Simon’s Town NPC
- Francesca de Gasparis, representing Southern African Faith Communities’ Environmental Institute (SAFCEI)
- Bev Stevens, representing Sunnydale Ratepayers’ Association
- Lynda Silk, representing Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation NPO
- Sandie MacDonald, representing Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation NPO
- Michelle du Toit, representing Kirstenhof and Environs Residents’ Association
- Pat Lockwood, representing Constantia Hills Residents’ Association
- Rhian Meats, Kirstenhof and Environs Residents’ Association
- Pascal Ellinas, representing Tokai Residents’ Association
- Steve White, representing Kommetjie Residents and Ratepayers’ Association
- Gordon Chunnett, representing Constantia Ratepayers and Residents’ Association
- Garth Kew, representing Simon’s Town Civic Association (Da Gama troop)
- Chris Hart, representing Simon’s Town Civic Association (Smitswinkel and Seaforth troop)
- Tom Cohen, representing Simon’s Town Civic Association (Waterfall troop)
- Jon Friedman, representing Cape of Good Hope SPCA
- Esme Beamish, representing iCWILD (UCT)
- Nicoli Nattrass, representing iCWILD (UCT)
Sources: Supplied
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