Baboons, monkeys terrorise Kanye residents
Residents of Mokuete, Tlhomo, Kebuang and Sepojane wards in Kanye, are experiencing sleepless nights due to marauding baboons and monkeys which frequently sleep on the roofs of their houses.
Some residents told The Midweek Sun this week that they have planted fruit trees such as mangoes, guavas, oranges and many others but never get a chance to harvest the fruits as the animals eat them all before they can. The residents are also tired of cleaning baboon faeces as the animals often spray residents with watery stools whenever they try to chase them away from their homes. An elderly woman from Sepojane ward, Elizabeth Ule, stated that adult monkeys often engage in fights with her when she attempts to chase them away from her mango tree. “I do not know the taste of the mangoes planted inside my yard; the baboons harvest all of them before they are ripe,” lamented Ule. She has long given up on rearing chickens, as there was no use in keeping them since they never multiplied. Ule said baboons feed on chickens, while the monkeys eat their freshly laid eggs. Another resident, Goemeone Tirelo, said she regrets building her house by the hill as the baboons and monkeys have taken residence in her yard. The animals often sleep on the roof of her house. Although Tirelo always reports the animals to Wildlife Department officers, it has not helped as the animals still return in search for food. Elderly Mothibi Kesetse often scares the animals away by hurling big stones at them. He lamented that they have long abandoned their backyard gardens as they are only cultivated for the animals.
The wild animals not only harvest trees, steal food and vandalise property but they also break into kitchens in search of food. “The baboons are not even afraid to eat from the pot while it is on the stove, di tlhatlola dipitsa,” he said. Kanye Wildlife Department confirmed having previously received reports from some wards within the village. They stated that procedures are followed to control wild animals, including attempts to translocate them. Additionally, they revealed that they sometimes engage Wildlife clusters to chase the animals away from homes. Earlier this year when responding to the 2024/2025 Budget Speech, Member of Parliament for Kanye East, Thapelo Letsholo complained that baboons and monkeys were causing havoc in the village as they go as far as stealing food and vandalising property. The MP highlighted a glaring absence of a compensation model specifically designed to address the damages inflicted by these animals. Letsholo also lamented the inadequate resources allocated to managing wildlife and human conflicts.