KLEINMOND – I frankly don’t know what to make of the Mayor’s baboon mediation meeting in Kleinmond Town Hall on Tuesday. Was it a genuine attempt to try and calm down the situation or just another way of fobbing off the baboon problem to residents? Let’s face it, doc Annelie has a bit of a chequered history when it comes to the baboons. Wasn’t it the Mayor who gave the go-ahead for paintballing to resume in Pringle Bay? Now she wants to make peace and preach tolerance? Is this her final gambit before the OM’s baboon mandate runs out in December and they walk away from the problem? I simply don’t know. The Mayor doesn’t talk to me. I’ve been trying to get her to have tea with me for almost three years.
That the situation in Pringle Bay is dire was made abundantly clear by residents at Tuesday’s meeting. When a calm, well-spoken and obviously educated woman two seats from you gets up and tells the meeting that while she loves the scenery in Pringle Bay, she would move tomorrow because she hates the people, you know you’re in trouble.
Our charismatic Mayor was at her best. I haven’t seen her having this much fun in a long time – Annelie the peacemaker. She said the meeting was about one question and one question only. Should there be a process of mediation (between humans) in Pringle Bay. Yes or no? This was necessary, she said, because the Municipality needed to take some decisions on the baboon programme going forward.
When the majority of those who voiced their opinions indicated yes, an obviously pleased Mayor had the next step ready. They will now embark on a survey of all households in Pringle Bay to ask whether they wanted mediation to go ahead. A baboon referendum, somebody in the audience ventured. Yes, the world’s very first baboon referendum, I thought.
“We cannot continue to fight each other like this,” the Mayor said. “The language being used is not fair. We’re not married to each other, but we have to be tolerant of other views.” Rabie said mediation has been used elsewhere. What was important was that Pringle Bay residents owned the process, she said. “We (OM) must put down money to contract a mediator. We’re willing to do that.”
“The mediator will not be from OM,” Rabie said. The idea seems to be that each of the for and against groups nominate a number of people to serve on a committee that will kickstart the process. I haven’t the foggiest where things go from there, but I am all for it if it calms things down.
One of the residents made what I thought was a very valid point. He said he had made a calculation that in the last twelve years 250 new homes had been built in Pringle Bay. Some 350 homes had been sold. His theory was that many of these new residents simply did not know what biosphere living was all about. They needed to be educated. Social media was also used to “psych” up people, he said.
Another resident said to great applause that for the first time in her 25 years in the village, people were not actually speaking to each other. “We cannot solve our problem. We are too emotionally involved, and it’s been going on for two years. We need mediating. We need help from outside.”
Dr Norah Clarke from Pringle Bay Rewilding said she was skeptical about a survey. “Coffee dates didn’t work. It’s become a discussion about numbers. There needs to be an intention and openness to compromise.” She also made the important point that besides the for and against groups there is also a third voice, which is that of the silent majority. Clarke said she was not in favour of the survey because she thought that could lead to campaigning which could make matters worse. “We do however support your proposal (the Mayor’s) on tolerance,” she said.
The issue of the recent Pringle Bay Ratepayers Association meeting on 9 August, where it was unanimously decided to ask the Municipality to continue their baboon programme after December, also came under the loop. One resident wanted to know how 300 people could speak for the 1700 households in Pringle Bay? The Mayor agreed and said she was not convinced that the PBRA spoke for the whole community. She did however respect their views. A representative from the PBRA later read a statement to the meeting indicating that they supported the rewilding of the baboons away from town, and that there was “overwhelming support” for this from villagers. This led to a huge commotion and doc Annelie had to step in.
Pat Redford from Hermanus also made a valid point. She wanted to know why mediation was being considered while the baboon management plan requires consultation. She said the BLG (Baboon Liaison Group) that in the past had been the forum to discuss the management of the baboons, has not met since last year.
On an alarming note one resident told of a foreign visitor wanting to photograph the baboons. She alleges a business owner stepped out with a gun and threatened to shoot the woman. She said the visitor was so traumatised that they would probably never return to Pringle Bay.
The issue of the recent pro-baboon adverts in the Herald also came up for discussion. A resident said the adverts pointed to the desperation of people who felt they were being “bulldozed” by the PBRA meetings. “It is a sign of desperation, fear and hopelessness,” she said.
Mayor Rabie concluded by saying the decision to go ahead with the survey was just the beginning of the process and warned against party political interference.
Municipal Manager Dean O’Neill said in his summary that mediation will not work if people are not willing to compromise and make it work. “The survey is important as it will give us a bigger sample of people’s views.”
Mediation is a waste of time. Majority of residents are sick and tired of baboons breaking into homes, the trauma, loss and damages to humans and property have escalated in the last year or two. KVet interfering also doesn’t help the issue at hand. Filming and taking photos not only of baboons but people and property too. This goes much deeper. Perhaps you should try to be unbiased and dig deeper, then you will find this is more a human than a baboon issue.
Dear Marieta, your comment is a classic example of the misconceptions and distrust that are so prevalent in Pringle Bay. Without mediation this will continue. Those who refuse to mediate clearly has no intention of finding a workable solution for both baboons and residents.
Dear Ida, how is my statement a misconception? Which part are you referring to? The fact about damages to property, people being traumatized? Please be more specific.
Dig deeper, there is much more to the baboon problem than the baboons. We always only hear the minority’s side of it, the cruelty, the violence. Why can’t this group realise that they are the catalyst’s for these actions. In my opinion, this group is putting the baboons in harms way, by wanting them in the urban area. It is not safe for the baboons. Perhaps when we can agree on the SAFETY of the baboons AND humans, by keeping the baboons out of the urban area, then we will be able to move forward. A gentle reminder that us humans are primates too and also have herd mentality, which means we will look out for our own.
Please note that the person who spoke on rewilding baboons to their natural environment was NOT a representative of the PBRA. She spoke in her own name and have no ties to the organisation.
I did attend the PBRA meeting and no-one was bulldozed. The chairman asked: “Do you all agree to the wording of the topic” (this was distributed two weeks before. All villagers were invited to attend, not only PBRA members.). Liezl Smith proposed a lengthy amendment which was not accepted. At the end everyone accepted the proposal. There was ample opportunity to object. You could simply have put up your hand when it was asked “Any objections?”.
I can confirm both statements above.
Funny did anybody look a bit into the history of the past 2 years or more of kvet disastrous intervention and harassment
Since when is animal welfare a democratic process?!?
This is actually sickening. That the welfare of animals, in this case, wild (supposedly) baboons, to be put to the vote of a bunch of generally ignorant even if well meaning residents is both insane and sickening. How many of these people are wildlife experts, with appropriate degrees, experience and proven track records of judging what is best for animals? NOT enthusiastic amateurs, dedicated observers, armchair critics and experts. But true experts, trained and qualified?
The agreement between Province, Municipality, Cape Nature, SPCA and others hinged on the agreement to keep baboons out of towns. Why is this? Why decide that baboons need to be kept out of towns? Editor, would you be able to interview relevant experience experts in animals, wildlife management, and animal welfare from Cape Nature and SPCA etc, and ask them WHY. Why did they decide that baboons should be kept out of towns?
The odds are pretty good that their reply will be something like this – to keep them safe from harm, caused by humans! Safe from eating food that is devastating to their health, safe from being run over, from being recklessly shot, poisoned, terrorised, by humans who are as a species, the greatest danger any wild animal faces. Please, let their information, facts and expert opinions and guidance enter this process.
The fact is simple – baboon welfare is compromised by proximity to humans. All wild animal welfare is! The bokkies, birds, porcupines you name it. The baboons, with their intelligence, ability to open bins, doors, windows, and fearlessly enter open houses, are placed in extreme danger in towns. If we truly care about their welfare, why would we want them in extreme danger? And we, in the mediation issue are simply asking the wrong question. It is not should there be mediation, but rather, how best can the welfare and safety of the baboons be ensured. Let us hear what the true experts have to say.
Good points Jon – Worth repeating: “…how best can the welfare and safety of baboons be ensured?”.
My sentiments exactly! People calling for baboons to roam freely, are inadvertently putting the baboons in harms way.
Mediation seldom works. Pragmatism does. There needs to be some very tough and unpopular decisions made to ease baboon/human tensions .
Don’t look at the problem as it currently presents itself but realize that Pringle Bay is only 60% developed. Within the next 5 to 10 years, the remaining 40% will be developed and the rural biosphere lifestyle will be a distant memory.
Move or euthanize the baboons now as humans can’t live in harmony with wildlife. You’re delaying the inevitable and causing much unrest in the process. (Ps, I’m actually pro baboons but also a realist ✌️)