URGENT: Stop the Planned Killing of 120 Cape Peninsula Baboons

URGENT: Stop the Planned Killing of 120 Cape Peninsula Baboons

The Crisis

A major conservation controversy has erupted in the Western Cape after authorities announced plans to remove five baboon troops from the Cape Peninsula—representing approximately 120 baboons or one quarter of the region's managed baboon population.

This shocking proposal emerged from the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT), comprising SANParks, CapeNature, and the City of Cape Town. Despite euphemistic language about "removal," this plan will likely result in the mass killing of these intelligent, sentient beings.

Why This Matters

📊 The Numbers: 120 baboons represents a devastating blow to an already vulnerable population
🌍 Ecosystem Impact: Baboons are crucial seed dispersers essential to fynbos regeneration
👥 Community Values: Cape Town residents overwhelmingly oppose lethal management
⚖️ Ethics: Mass killing contradicts modern conservation principles and animal welfare standards

Take Action Now

📧 Email These Key Decision-Makers:

Primary Recipients:

  • Mayor: Geordin.HillLewis@capetown.gov.za
  • Task Team: cpbmjtt@capenature.co.za

Copy: info@cpcc.org.za (Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation)

Your Voice Template

Copy and personalise this message:

Subject: URGENT: Stop Planned Killing of 120 Cape Peninsula Baboons

Dear Mayor Hill-Lewis and Members of the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team,

I am writing to express my profound opposition to the recently announced plan to remove and potentially kill up to 120 baboons from five troops on the Cape Peninsula. This decision is deeply concerning from ethical, ecological, and social perspectives.

My Key Concerns:

🚫 Ethical Crisis: The planned killing of 120 sentient beings who are part of our natural heritage is morally indefensible. These baboons are intelligent, social creatures with complex family structures and intrinsic value—not mere statistics to be managed.

🌱 Ecological Catastrophe: Baboons are vital seed dispersers integral to Cape Peninsula biodiversity. Their removal could trigger cascading effects on plant communities and ecosystem health that we cannot fully predict or reverse.

📢 False Innovation: Characterising this mass killing as "innovative baboon management" is misleading propaganda. True innovation means finding sustainable, humane coexistence solutions—not elimination.

Overlooked Alternatives:

  • Enhanced human-baboon conflict prevention
  • Improved waste management systems
  • Community education programmes
  • Habitat corridor creation
  • Advanced deterrent technologies.

My Demands:

  1. ⏸️ IMMEDIATELY SUSPEND the planned removal and killing
  2. 🤝 RECONVENE STAKEHOLDERS to explore humane alternatives
  3. 💡 INVEST in long-term coexistence strategies, not elimination tactics
  4. 👂 ENGAGE THE PUBLIC in meaningful consultation before any decisions.

The Cape Peninsula's baboons define our region's unique character and biodiversity. Their presence, while sometimes challenging, never justifies wholesale elimination. We have a responsibility to find solutions respecting both human needs and wildlife conservation.

I call upon you to demonstrate true leadership by choosing compassion and genuine innovation—innovation that preserves life rather than destroys it.

Please contact Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation (info@cpcc.org.za) and speak with Lynda Silk and Sandie MacDonald about constructive alternatives.

I await your urgent reconsideration of this devastating decision.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Location]
[Date]

📣 Spread the Word

🔄 Share this petition on social media
👥 Forward to friends, family, and colleagues
📞 Contact local media outlets
🗣️ Discuss with community groups

Every voice matters. Every email counts. Every share helps save lives.

Learn More

  • Read the full Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation statement
  • Follow developments on social media: #SaveCapeBaboons
  • Contact CPCC for volunteer opportunities: info@cpcc.org.za

Time is critical. Act today to protect our Peninsula's irreplaceable baboon heritage.


Carol Knox and Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation    Contact the author of the petition

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