The future of Cape Town’s baboons hangs in the balance after plans were approved to capture the Waterfall and Seaforth troops in the Simon’s Town area and permanently hold them at the urban wildlife centre at Kogelfontein on the Southern Peninsula.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA has confirmed that the capture and relocation of the animals already commenced yesterday morning (13 November 2026).
Although the SPCA is monitoring the process, the organisation has made it clear that its presence should in no way be interpreted as condoning the relocation. The SPCA is opposed to the permanent holding of healthy, free-ranging baboons.
The relocation stems from the Baboon Management Action Plan that was adopted in November 2025 by CapeNature, SANParks and the City of Cape Town. The plan makes provision for, among other things, veterinary examinations and the vasectomy of male baboons.
Serious questions have, however, been raised about the criteria for declaring certain animals unfit for relocation as well as the possibility that these animals may be euthanised.
The public deserves absolute transparency with this process.
The proposed relocation has already sparked strong public outcry. More than 16 000 people signed a petition against the capture, sterilisation and permanent holding of the baboons.
According to a spatial analysis by the non-profit organisation Dear South Africa, the intended holding camp will comprise less than 1% of the Waterfall troop’s natural range. This will inevitably restrict the animals’ natural freedom of movement, group dynamics and social behaviour.
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) in the Cape Town Metro demands that all permits relating to the capture, transport and holding of the baboons be immediately disclosed.
Likewise, the complete operational and management plans governing the project should also be made available to the public.
In addition, independent and routine veterinary and animal welfare monitoring should be guaranteed. Furthermore, the authorities need to explain how the baboons’ physical, psychological and social well-being will be ensured over the long term.
The Freedom Front Plus implores the City of Cape Town and other role-players to meaningfully engage and consult with residents, conservation organisations and other stakeholders before taking any further irreversible decisions.
Non-lethal alternatives should be reconsidered. These include, among other things, exclusion fencing, which has already successfully been used in areas such as Tokai and Constantia to reduce human-wildlife conflict without depriving baboons of their natural habitat.
It would be much better to develop Kogelfontein into a proper rehabilitation and veterinary centre for injured, orphaned or vulnerable wild animals, instead of a facility where healthy, wild baboon troops are permanently held.
Protecting residents and conserving baboons does not need to be mutually exclusive. With the right approach, it is possible to find solutions that serve both objectives. Sustainable, scientifically proven and humane measures should take precedence over the permanent confinement of healthy wild animals.
Related: https://mycapetown.co.za/baboon-matters-position-rejected/ | 370 Year Process of Clearing Indigenous Life From the Shadow of Table Mountain Continues
Freedom Front Plus Anti-Corruption: The party is vocal against corruption in government and public institutions.
Swerve
At the end of the school year and a mother asked his son if the exam questions were difficult. And he answers her saying “They weren’t bad at all,” it was the answers that gave me all the trouble.
Delicious
I was pretty surprised to learn Elon Musk was born in South Africa
I thought he was born in Mad-at-gas-car