JOINT STATEMENT BY THE BABOON OPERATIONAL GROUP, March 25 2011
Smitswinkel Bay baboon captured
The Baboon Operational Group (OPS team), responsible for managing baboons on the Peninsula, had to make the difficult decision to euthanize a raiding baboon in the Smitswinkel Bay area, commonly known as Fred (SWB2). The Cape Nature Wildlife Advisory Committee has agreed with this decision and given permission that the baboon be euthanized. Authorities captured the baboon this afternoon.
This baboon, the former leader of the Smitswinkel troop, is infamous for opening car doors and climbing into cars with people. He target cars with bags and visible food, but it is his ability to open closed car doors that surprised everyone passing along this scenic route to Cape Point.
The decision to have him euthanized was not taken lightly and not without extensive discussions between all role players involved. This baboon's aggression levels had recently escalated to the point where the safety of tourists, motorists and other travellers along the road past Smitswinkel Bay was being threatened. In 2010 he physically attacked and injured three people, of which two of them required medical attention. Attempts to use monitors to thwart his raids were only initially successful, but over the previous summer he had resorted to attacking monitors who tried to prevent him from getting into parked cars.
Unfortunately, this baboon's demise can be contributed mainly to the continuous misguided efforts by humans to befriend and feed baboons. Because people want to love, laugh at and be entertained by baboons, they start a cycle of events that can lead to tragedy, as in the case of this baboon. Through feeding baboons or approaching them to take photographs or generally wishing to get closer to a wild animal, the downward slide starts.