What to do when baboons visit your home
Remain calm and avoid eye contact… these are the first things you do when you encounter an unwanted baboon in your house.
This advice tops the list of Bitou municipality's standard operating procedure (SoP), announced in a public notice by the municipality to alert Plett residents in certain parts of the town.
The 13-point SoP was published last week with Plett's baboon problem in certain areas of the town reaching boiling point, with up to 200 messages being posted weekly on a baboon reporting WhatsApp group.
The messages pinpoint the whereabouts of baboons and where house invasions have taken place.
Acording to the notice, the intention of the reporting group is to make individuals aware of where the baboons are in town, and to inform the environmental monitors (supplied by the municipality) of their location to assist residents.
Additional advice contained in the SoP when coming into contact with baboons:
Do not close off the entry point where it came in
Do not corner the baboon as they may become aggressive when they are cornered
Move out of the way where the
baboon can exit; back away slowly and do not block its escape route
Create multiple escape routes, if possible, by opening doors and windows
Spray the baboon with a strong stream of water as they hate water (if possible)
Keep your pets away from baboons (Do not set your dogs to attack a baboon)
Do not try to take back anything that the baboon got hold of; they will fight for it
Do not threaten the juveniles as the Alpha male will defend and protect them
Do not attempt to lure the baboon out of your house using food (by doing this you will give an indication that humans are a food source).
"Should an individual encounter a baboon inside their house please phone the law enforcement call centre," said the notice.
The numbers are: 044 533 5000, 044 501 3230, and 044 501 3231
Advisory committee
A new group of concerned residents and professionals have
formed an advisory committee to help resolve the conflict.
The BBACP (Bitou Baboon Advisory Committee Plett) held its inaugural public meeting with baboon expert Jenny Trethowan and Bitou Mayor Claude Terblanche in attendance on Tuesday 26 March at Zolewa Lodge Plettenberg Bay.
BBACP volunteers have in recent weeks been working round the clock to mitigate the baboon problem in communities in the Eddystone area, Skerry Vore, Eagle Avenue, Whale Rock, Lower Robberg, Robberg Road and areas along a green belt in Maplin Drive, Hanois Crescent.
They have called on volunteers to assist and also for donations to pay for more baboon monitors.
The idea is to keep moving the baboons out of residential areas and to get them to the reserve side of Plett where they can forage naturally.
In the meantime, some of the deterrant measures used to scare away baboons are to strategically place lion and leopard scat.
Residents have also been told that blaring air horns are an effective deterrent to scare baboons away.
Residents have also been told that blaring air horns are an effective deterrent to scare baboons away.