The City of Cape Town will be opposing the application to the Western Cape High Court to review and set aside the decision to relocate a raiding male baboon from the Slangkop Troop to Tokai.
The City was notified of Mr Ryno Engelbrecht’s application to the Western Cape High Court on 5 October 2020.
The applicant is requesting the Western Cape High Court to set aside the decision to relocate the raiding male baboon, colloquially known as Kataza, from Kommetjie to Tokai.
It is the City’s intention to oppose the application. This is in the best interest of Kataza, and all other baboons whose natural habitat is the mountains adjacent to urban areas in the Cape Peninsula.
Kataza needs space to integrate with the Tokai troop at his own time. Some residents have been following him since his relocation and we are concerned about this human interference. The City once again appeals to all to please refrain from following or feeding Kataza.
Kataza has been assessed on numerous occasions since his relocation, and his integration into the troop is carefully monitored. He was in a fight with another male baboon from Tokai on Saturday, 10 October 2020. Fighting between baboons is normal behaviour in determining dominance and is part of the process of being accepted into a new troop. At this point in time, no intervention is required as determined by the guidelines for dispersing male baboons in urban areas in the Cape Peninsula.
The City’s Baboon Programme has been in existence since 2009.
To date, the programme has succeeded in limiting baboon incursions into urban areas.
The intention of the programme is to limit interaction between humans and baboons, to keep baboons out of urban areas where they face many dangers, and ultimately, to ensure the safety and welfare of residents and baboons alike.