What management methods don’t work?
Many different methods have been attempted to manage baboon-human interactions, and over time, we’ve learned that several of them are ineffective or unethical, often leading to harmful repercussions for both coexistence and the broader environment. Here’s a roundup of some of these methods and their effects.
Attempts to deter baboons from entering certain areas have shown little long-term success. These methods often fail to address the root causes and overlook the intelligence and adaptability of baboons.
- Lacing food with chilli powder or other foul smelling stuff – baboons simply avoid the doctored food.
- Painting a baboon in the hope that the troop will eject it – this is an old farmer’s tale and does not do anything.
- Scaring them with loud noises like bear bangers – the baboons may initially be startled, but over time they get used to the noise. Over time, the stress caused by frequent use may elevate their anxiety, leading to more unpredictable behavior. Not to mention the noise disturbance and fire risk associated with their use.
- Predator calls or scat – will provoke curiosity in the baboons and prompt them to investigate rather than scaring them away1.
- Using strobe lights to disturb them – again, they may be startled initially, but become habituated with time. Using strobe lights at night while the baboons are trying to sleep is inhumane, and likely to disrupt their routine behaviour due to heightened stress.
- Animal masks – may initially spark concern and caution, but they will soon become accustomed to them.
Besides the ethical concerns associated with using pain aversion methods to deter baboons from specific areas, these approaches are ineffective and often lead to counterproductive results
- Pepper spray – Primatologist Dr. Dave Gaynor specifically cautions against its use, as baboons interpret it as an attack. This may provoke an aggressive reaction or create a dangerous situation where a blinded baboon, trying to escape, charges through anything in its path1.
- Paintball guns, firearms and projectiles such as catapults – may be effective in the moment, but will not deter a baboon from returning to the area. They associate the pain or scare tactic with the person and the tool used to inflict it. So if the person with the gun or catapult is not around, they will feel safe to return1. Moreover, living in an environment where weapons are openly deployed is disturbing and negatively impacts quality of life for both people and other species.
Relocation is not a feasible baboon management technique for authorities. As well as the high financial and logistical costs, there are no approved relocation sites in the Western Cape. Occasional attempts at relocation often result in failure to integrate with a new troop. In reality, “relocation” translates to a life in captivity, or more likely, euthanasia. In any case, relocating one or many baboons simply opens up a space for others to move in.
Killing individual baboons or culling entire troops presents numerous ethical challenges and directly contradicts the ethos of a biosphere. It is also ineffective – there will always be another baboon to take the spot of an individual who has been killed. Or another troop to take over the range of an entire troop which has been wiped out.
“…you can kill out this whole troop. We did it in Kommetjie – an entire troop of 18 baboons. All that happened was that the next troop moved down! So eliminating your baboons is not going to help. Relocating them to another area is also not going to help – because you’ve got this whole [open] mountain range and you’re going to get baboons coming back.”
Jenni Trethowan, Baboon Matters1