Baboons need us - Help us get to them

Since launching our project in June, we have so far received 19 donations and raised $662, so we have a long way to go before we reach our goal.

Although Baboon Matters Trust desperately needs a vehicle to reach the rural communities and areas such as Knysna and Caledon, we are currently being kept very busy in Cape Town where the local conservation authorities have made the very unusual decision to allow professional hunters to kill seven baboons on local vineyards.

When the issuance of permits was placed in the public domain there was an outcry as residents of Cape Town had long held the belief that baboons (and indeed all wildlife) are protected from hunting on the Cape peninsula. 

As the story began to unfold we were horrified to discover that far from seven baboons being killed, there are in fact approximately 40 baboons ”missing”; what this means is that the bodies of the baboons have not yet been discovered but that when the annual ground count was undertaken in June, it was expected to find 255 baboons whereas only 211 have in fact been counted.

Earlier this year there had been reports of shots being heard in the local forests and residents reported that baboons seem to be disappearing; at the time these reports appear to have been dismissed as there were no direct statements or evidence, but in light of 40 “missing” animals  it seems that something untoward did in fact take place and we are working hard to uncover what happened to baboons who are managed daylight hours, 365 days annually.

It is clear that Baboon Matters urgently needs a vehicle and financial support if we are to carry on protecting and speaking up for this much maligned and persecuted species.

We hope that our fund raising drives will move forward and help us achieve our goals