In Cape Town, South Africa, an ongoing conflict between people and baboons has escalated to the point that local authorities are considering culling 117 animals from four troops, roughly a quarter of the local population. The 45-kilogram (100-pound) primates sometimes raid homes for food and have injured people, but local conservationists argue killing them isn’t the answer. Urban expansion in Cape Town has pushed chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) into areas with fewer natural food sources but plenty of unsecured garbage bins that provide easy access to high-calorie food. Authorities say the local baboon population has nearly doubled since 2000 as suitable habitat has shrunk, a predictable recipe for conflict. Residents report property damage while baboons are injured and suffer health consequences from eating from trash cans. The Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT) says culling is one option, alongside translocating baboons, fencing them in, and creating sanctuaries. “No decision has been made as yet about the proposed removal of four troops from the Cape Peninsula,” a CPBMJTT spokesperson told Mongabay by email. Carol Knox with Green Group Simon’s Town, a local environmental nonprofit, said the best solution is simple: provide locals with baboon-proof trash bins. “You blame baboons for coming for food that you don’t secure and now you say they must die because of that. That’s really perverse,” Knox told Mongabay in a video call. The latest 10-year baboon management plan, for 2023-2033, says the city of Cape Town “will work to improve waste management through providing baboon-proof bins.”…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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