Help Baboon Matters help Baboons!

Help Baboon Matters help baboons – Report August 2025

It has been a very busy time for Baboon Matters as we have been fighting for baboons on so many levels!

120 baboons to be killed?

On the 29 May 2025, the joint authorities (City of Cape Town, Cape Nature and SANParks – known as the JTT) issued a shocking press statement in which they announced their intention to “remove 5 troops’ of baboons; the JTT stated that the 5 troops could be removed through culling, relocation to a sanctuary or a combination of the options.

Legal protection for baboons

In response to the threat 120 baboons are now under, Baboon Matters and our partners Baboon Management Western Cape and Baboons of the South, focused attention on our recently obtained Court Order and our letter of demand to the individual authorities:  if the decision to kill the baboons is "official", we will be more than ready to combat the decision in terms of the law.

No to Killing, Yes to SolutionsI

In addition to our legal work, we partnered with Beauty Without Cruelty SA, Baboon Watch WC and Green Group Simons Town to launch an extensive campaign to make the general public aware of the threat the baboons are under and organized a protest march through Simons Town, an area which stands to have two troops of baboons eliminated if the JTT proceed with their plans.

Our campaign, “No to Killing, Yes to Solutions” has been highly effective and reached hundreds of thousands of people through our social media as well as hard media outlets.  

The protest march was exceptionally well attended, with well over 500 people walking for the baboons – when one considers that protests late last year had only 30, or so, attendees, it show just how outraged the general public are at the thought of 120 baboons being killed.

Helping vulnerable, injured and orphaned baboons in SA

In addition to the Cape peninsula baboons, we have continued to work to help individual baboons in distress, ensuring veterinary help for a badly injured female baboon as well as two young juveniles.  Unfortunately the mother baboon was humanely euthanased as a result of the terrible injuries sustained, but we managed to save her infant.   

Supporting primate organisations

We have also continued to provide support to various organisations in need as well as participate on various groups and forum to advocate for the better protection and care of baboons nationally,

Population estimation - these animals are so persecuted!

Baboon Matters continues to work on our long term project to undertake a population estimation of baboons across South Africa as it is more apparent than ever that baboons are increasingly persecuted.  

We have continued to explore the best methodology to undertake a project of this size and have had productive meetings with scientists, IT specialist and experienced wildlife experts – as well as taking every opportunity to go and look for baboons whenever possible.

Your help matters!

This report gives a brief overview of the breadth of work we undertaken – work that would not be possible without the support of our hugely appreciated donors.  Thank you for supporting baboons and thank you for your on going contributions, with your help we can continue to fight for this persecuted species and ensure appropriate help fori njured or orphaned baboons..

From all the baboons you have helped and from all of our partners – thank you for your help!!

https://www.facebook.com/baboonmatterstrust/videos/1226825382100609/

https://www.facebook.com/baboonmatterstrust/videos/1248336526476083/