Menu

Baboon FAQs

Learn about baboons

Baboon Proofing

Baboons are a permanent and protected part of life in Rooiels. Building, renovating or moving here means having a home that is adapted to coexisting with them from the outset. Retrofitting later is often expensive and frustrating, so baboon proofing should be treated as a necessary basic, not an optional extra. 

Windows & Doors

  • Use aluminium window and door frames wherever possible – they’re more durable and less attractive to baboons.
  • Use round door knobs rather than lever handles, which baboons are able to operate.
  • All opening windows should have appropriate stays, catches, or devices that limit how far they can open or burglar bars (the maximum opening or spacing should be no more than 7cm).
  • If you want to leave doors opening for airflow, they must either have limiting devices, trellidors, gates or secure screens. Again, don’t allow an opening or spacing of more than 7cm.
  • Fit anti-lift mechanisms on all sliding doors.

Parking & Access

  • Where possible, design a garage with direct internal access into the house. This allows groceries and refuse to be moved without exposure and reduces risk at entry points.
  • Keep internal access doors inside the garage properly secured.
  • If you don’t have a garage, a carport will give your vehicle some protection from being treated as part of the landscape when baboons are playing or fighting.

Refuse & Storage

  • First prize is to design a secure, enclosed refuse storage area into the house or garage.
  • Bins which are kept permanently outside should be heavy to withstand the wind and being overturned by the baboons, and lockable to prevent baboon access. 

Gutters & External Fixtures

  • Baboons use rooftops and gutters as access routes and play structures, which can be hard on them. If you’re building from scratch, concealed gutters and downpipes are the best option.
  • If you have exposed gutters, use heavy-duty brackets,  spaced no more than 300 mm apart.
  • Avoid creating climbing aids such as exposed pipes, ledges, or broad window sills. 
  • Any outdoor fixtures like exposed plumbing, outdoor basins or showers should be securely fixed with additional brackets.

Antennas & Satellite Dishes

  • Wherever possible, install TV antennas inside the roof space rather than externally.
  • Position satellite dishes so they are not easy to reach, and ensure arms and brackets are robust and securely fixed. 
  • If the baboons take a liking to your dish arm, you may need to fit protective deterrents such as barbed wire to prevent them using it as a hand-hold.

Electric Fencing

  • Perimeter electric fencing is discouraged. It’s largely ineffective at preventing baboons entering a plot, and poses a risk to other wildlife. 
  • Installing electric fencing strands directly onto the building (e.g. above windows if baboons are accessing them from the roof) has met with mixed but sometimes better results than standard electric fencing. These solutions need to be carefully designed, professionally installed, and limited to targeted problem areas rather than used as a blanket solution.

A Final Note

There is no single measure that will work on its own. The key is to have necessary baboon proofing mechanisms fitted, and then to use them consistently. 

Most baboon entries into homes happen because of simple oversights, like a window or door left open. Once they’ve been successful, baboons may return repeatedly until they learn that there is nothing to be gained, so ensure you (or family, guests and visitors) don’t leave access points vulnerable.