Statement by EMS Foundation:
EMS FOUNDATION REJECTS THE “BABOON MATTERS” POSITION ON THE WATERFALL AND SEAFORTH TROOPS
The EMS Foundation rejects in full, the position taken by Baboon Matters on the Waterfall and Seaforth baboon troops.
We oppose the capture and permanent confinement of both troops at the Kogelfontein Urban Wildlife Centre. We reject the claim that captivity would give them a better life and the premise that the authorities can present lifelong confinement and killing as the only options.
In Professor Elisa Galgut’s article published on 1 November, Baboon Matters argues that the proposed centre would improve the baboons’ quality of life and says the authorities will kill the troops if they are not moved. By endorsing confinement in response to that reported threat, Baboon Matters lends support to the plan that would permanently remove two wild troops from their habitat.
The City of Cape Town, CapeNature and SANParks must rule out killing the troops, halt the continued capture and take immediate steps to keep them safe and free-ranging.
The plan includes capturing two entire troops, subject healthy males to vasectomies and give the baboons no stated route back to the wild.
A barrier fence would set the limits of where they could travel, forage and take refuge for the rest of their lives. The authorities and some baboon advocates call this a sanctuary. For the Waterfall and Seaforth troops, it would mean lifelong captivity and permanent removal from the ecosystems they inhabit.
In September, the Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa put a funded coexistence proposal to the authorities. It combines a strategically located baboon-proof barrier fence with secure waste storage, dedicated monitoring and community participation.
These measures address where and why conflict occurs while allowing the troops to remain free-ranging. The public deserves to know how the authorities assessed the proposal and what they have done to secure food and waste on state and naval properties. Both residents and baboons are paying for failures that public authorities have the power to address.
The Joint Task Team must publish the current plan, the status of the required authorisations and the evidence it relies on to justify permanent captivity.
The public must have a meaningful opportunity to scrutinise that evidence and the available alternatives before either troop is captured. The authorities can act immediately to secure waste and other food attractants, maintain field monitoring and help residents protect their homes.
Baboon Matters speaks for itself. Its support for permanent captivity cannot be presented as agreement from the animal protection sector – it is not.
The EMS Foundation calls on the authorities to abandon the confinement plan and act on measures that protect residents and keep both troops alive and in the wild.
Related: 370 Year Process of Clearing Indigenous Life From the Shadow of Table Mountain Continues
