South Africa: Brazen Baboons Torment Farmers

Sunday Times (Johannesburg)

July 23, 2006
Posted to the web July 24, 2006

Sibongile Khumalo
Johannesburg

AGGRESSIVE baboons which help themselves to mealie crops, hitch rides on the backs of cows and strike at their targets with military-like precision are terrorising a small farming community outside Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal.

The arrogant hordes, which "saunter" around the district causing mayhem, have killed dogs, sheep and even driven a panicked cow off a cliff.

Cattle farmer Melle Briscoe, 77, who has lived on his Rockerdale farm in Amajuba Pass all his life, has been forced to abandon sheep farming.

"These baboons are more than a metre tall with about 5cm long teeth... We would find a young lamb or a fully grown sheep torn to pieces by these guys," he said.

He described the baboons as arrogant with minds like humans. "They saunter around in big groups with a leader, leaving utter destruction in their wake," said Briscoe, who said he has shot one of them.

Briscoe's son Adam said their "military-like operation" had everyone scared. "They always have a leader who looks out for the [others] and if you shoot a leader they back off for a while until they find themselves a replacement.

"During the day you can see them strolling down Nkwele mountain down to the main road, almost thumbing down a lift from the passing cars. Others ride cows just for fun," said Melle Briscoe.

Farmer Hannes van der Merwe said the baboons cleaned out his entire corn field before it could be harvested.

"These creatures are very destructive and once they invade your field there is little chance of salvaging anything. They just pull down cobs, drop them on the ground or just take one bite or two. Nobody want to eat or buy mealies with baboon bites," said Van der Merwe, who spotted 50 baboons in his field last week. He also admitted having shot a baboon to protect his territory.

Schoolgirl Ntombikayise Phakathi, 18, said people had begun hunting down the creatures for meat and others threw stones at them. "They appear to have long memories. They never forget people who once attacked them," said Phakathi.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife spokesman Maureen Zimu expressed concern about the abuse and killing of baboons. "Killing them is definitely not a solution. Our inspectors can issue permits for people to put them down if they feel that there is a need to do so," she said.

"..Arrogant with minds like humans. . ." "They saunter around in big groups with a leader leaving utter destruction in their wake. . ." Wow, it almost sounds like Zimbabwe, rather than South Africa. In any event, the folks in South Africa ought to stop comparing these creatures to themselves and initiate a serious plan of killing most of the marauders.

Sounds like the US Congress at election time.

I issue a general call to all baboon hunters (killers) - TIME to band together, make the trek to RSA and turn some of our blue-butted buddies into leopard food....

Now, if I only had the money...

Nothing better than a baboon looking at you just as you pull the trigger on that favorite big bore and perforate his flea ridden carcass with a .270 grain love letter....