Roll-out of baboon-proof bins to start as northern fence gets under way

The Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team is pleased to announce key developments related to the practical implementation of the approved Cape Peninsula Baboon Strategic Management Plan (CPBSMP).

 The Action Plan that guides the practical implementation of the CPBSMP was approved by SANParks, CapeNature, and the City of Cape Town in November 2025.

Feedback on key interventions, as stipulated in the Action Plan:

Lockable baboon-proof bins

The City’s Urban Waste Management Directorate will commence with the delivery of the first 2 200 of the 6 000 baboon-proof bins to the most affected communities in the Far South by mid-September 2026.

• The areas that experience the most baboon activity and where the most human-baboon conflict has been recorded, are prioritised: Plateau Road; Castle Rock; Heron Park; Murdoch Valley South; De Oude Weg; Da Gama; Capri; Welcome Glen; Scarborough; Tokai East and Fir Grove
• Each residence in the prioritised areas will receive a lockable baboon-proof bin
• The City will keep communities informed about when to expect the delivery of the baboon-proof bin that will be swopped with the old bin
• The staff will distribute the bins and residents, or a representative, will need to sign for the bin on receipt
• Residents are advised to clearly mark their bins by adding a street number on the side of the bin

Simon’s Town is not included on the list for baboon-proof bins as the Seaforth and Waterfall troops will be relocated to the Urban Wildlife Centre.  

Importantly, baboon-proof bins will be distributed to all of the affected communities in the Far South over time, as and when bins become available.

Northern Fence Project

The process to establish a northern boundary fence from Zwaanswyk in the South to Constantia Nek in the North to prevent baboons from accessing urban areas and farmland in the northern region will start later this month, following the completion of the required environmental checklists and administrative approvals.

This fence will secure baboon habitat for 250 baboons in the north and act as a single baboon proof barrier preventing conflict and damage to agricultural and urban areas. This is the largest public-private partnership to date of its kind in mitigating human-baboon conflict.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the seven landowners of wine farms bordering the Table Mountain National Park in the Constantia Valley, the Cape Baboon Partnership, and the City of Cape Town after a year of extensive negotiations. This agreement confirms the shared responsibility for the construction, maintenance, and long-term operation of the baboon-proof fence.

• The implementation of the fence will commence later this month, and will take about six months to complete, if all goes as planned
• Once implemented, the Constantia 1 (CT1) and Constantia 2 (CT2) baboon troops will be encouraged to move to the mountain side of the Northern Fence with the assistance of the rangers
• The rangers will continue to monitor baboon troops and patrol the fence line
• No baboons will be allowed on the other side of the fence, in the urban environment or farms, or over Constantia Nek
• According to the MoU the cost to construct and upgrade the fence will be shared between the landowners and the Cape Baboon Partnership with the City contributing a once-off R10 million investment towards the construction of the fence. All parties will contribute to the future maintenance of the fence, including routine inspections and repairs, and the maintenance of firebreaks

The fence is part of the approved Cape Peninsula Baboon Strategic Management Plan and intends to create a boundary between Table Mountain National Park and the adjoining agricultural and residential properties. Once implemented, the fence will keep the baboons within their natural habitat on the mountain, reduce human-baboon conflict, improve animal welfare, and protect the affected properties and agricultural operations.

Urban Wildlife Centre

The establishment of the Urban Wildlife Centre on City-owned land on the Cape Peninsula is progressing well. The Seaforth troop and Waterfall troop will be relocated once the centre is operational and related processes have been finalised.

• The Cape Baboon Partnership has appointed an experienced sanctuary manager to oversee the long-term management of the facility
• To promote transparency, several stakeholder groups, environmental organisations, community representatives, concerned residents, and members of the Cape Peninsula Baboon Advisory Group have visited the site over the past two months
• The general feedback to date has been positive

Western Cape High Court dismissed application brought by Liberty Fighters Network, Reyno de Beer

On Friday, 28 August 2026, the Western Cape High Court dismissed an urgent application brought by the Liberty Fighters Network (LFN) and Reyno de Beer for the judge to be recused and awarded costs against them. The judge was of the view that the recusal application was a blatant strategy to avoid legal costs of earlier proceedings being determined. The LFN and Reyno de Beer’s application to interdict the CPBMJTT from implementing the Action Plan was dismissed in February this year.

During the February proceedings, the court affirmed the three authorities’ constitutional and statutory mandate to work together, and that the authorities have the legal standing and authority to give effect to the CPBSMP and the Action Plan. The judge expressed that the manner in which the February proceedings were brought amounted to self-created urgency and an abuse of court process. Reyno de Beer, in his personal capacity was ordered to pay the three authorities’ legal costs of the February proceedings. The court also ordered that further proceedings in the matter could not continue until these legal costs have been paid by Reyno de Beer.

Research

The Swansea University research project on ‘disgust mitigation and deterrents’ in the Da Gama troop has successfully ended on 21 August 2026. All collars successfully self-released from the baboons and were collected by the research team. The research intends to explore novel approaches to keeping baboons out of urban areas through the use of different olfactory, auditory and visual cues. By simulating risks using realistic sights, sounds, and scents, the research aims to understand how baboons make decisions about where to move, forage, and rest.

The benefit of this study is to test new, non-invasive ways of influencing baboon behaviour, which could be added to the management toolbox we use to keep them out of urban areas. The data from the research project will now be analysed. Findings of the research will be made public once the study has been fully completed.

Cape Baboon Partnership

The Cape Baboon Partnership is responsible for certain operational tasks, including the provision of baboon rangers, management of the Baboon Hotline, and community liaison and education.

• Residents impacted by baboon troops are encouraged to join the WhatsApp Community Groups for regular updates on troops’ movements in their respective areas. Go to https://baboons.org.za and scan the QR code to join the group applicable to your area
• Summary reports about every baboon troop are available on https://baboons.org.za for those who are interested to know more about the troops’ health, movements, and numbers

The CPBMJTT remains committed to implementing the strategic management plan in the interest of establishing a healthy, well-managed, sustainable, free-ranging baboon population with minimal human interference, overlap and conflict and a reduction in day-to-day aversive measures.

The plan is based on the principles that baboons are a valuable and integral part of the natural ecology and biodiversity of the Cape Peninsula; and that free-ranging baboons living in natural habitats form part of our collective biodiversity and cultural heritage.

The free-ranging baboon population is deserving of conservation and active wildlife management interventions to promote their health, welfare, and sustainability.

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For more information contact: hello@baboons.org.za