Outrage after baboon mom is shot dead
Concerned Cape residents are calling on authorities to act against the person responsible for killing a baboon mother.
|||Cape Town - Concerned residents in the Cape Peninsula are calling on authorities to act against the person responsible for the killing of a baboon mother on December 20.
Kerry Abramowitz, who lives in Glencairn, said: “The thought of someone taking potshots at baboon mothers is bizarre.”
Baboon Matters, a non-profit organisation, said on its Facebook page that the baboon's death left its infant, aged two or three months old, orphaned. “The infant is currently being carried by another pregnant mom baboon; it seems that the baby is suckling and the vet hopes that the suckling will stimulate milk for the infant. It may be problematic if the mother gives birth in the next short while as she may not look after her new born and the infant,” the page stated.
“I want somebody somewhere to monitor where the baboon was found. I'd like the shooter to be stopped in whatever way it takes, I'd like them to be charged because the baboons are protected and shooting them is illegal”, Abramowitz said.
The cover photo on the Baboon Matters Facebook page asks “Who is the Scarborough Shooter?”, a question now plaguing many concerned residents.
Trish McAlister posted: “This makes me so angry... Those responsible should hang their heads in shame... The baboons were there first for crying out aloud... How on earth do these people sleep at night knowing what's being done...Disgusting.”
Baboons are a protected species in the Western Cape, according to the CapeNature Conservation Laws Amendment Act. But Abramowitz said while killing baboons was against the law, “authorities are paying little attention to it”. She said the raiding behaviour of the baboons was common knowledge amongst residents and “bins should simply be padlocked, put bars on your windows, it's human error if you don't like them and killing them is not the answer.”
Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town released a statement on Wednesday that said a post-mortem was conducted on the female baboon on December 21. “Two attending veterinarians determined that the female baboon had also been shot by a pellet gun and had died of injuries inflicted by the pellet,” the statement read.
This was the second incident in December.
On December 13, a large juvenile male baboon was injured after being shot by a pellet gun. But he was “regretfully euthanased on humane grounds after his medical condition deteriorated”.
The baboon was euthanased on December 18.
The City of Cape Town's Baboon Technical Team said it condemned the incidents and was urging the public to come forward with information in this regard.
Anyone with information can contact the baboon hotline on 071 588 6540.
ANA