Animal rights activists in South Africa are mobilizing for a protest march this Saturday, walking from Simon’s Town to Boulders Beach in the Western Cape. The demonstration is in response to the reported killing of baboons earlier in July in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape a situation that has sparked public outrage and intensified calls for non-lethal, humane wildlife management strategies.
Samantha Hodgson, co-founder of Baboon Watch Western Cape, voiced her concerns over what she describes as the systematic extermination of the baboon population. “We want, first of all, the general public to know that the baboons belong to every one of us,” she said. “These baboons are being systematically killed, and one day, our kids may have to visit zoos just to see them. That’s the tragic direction we’re heading if this doesn’t stop.”
The activists argue that current government and municipal responses to baboon-human conflict are unsustainable and cruel, often involving lethal force rather than community education or habitat preservation. They are urging the South African authorities, particularly CapeNature and local municipalities, to adopt science-based and ethical methods to manage the country’s dwindling urban baboon populations.
The march is expected to draw significant public attention, with environmental groups, local residents, and international supporters uniting to advocate for animal welfare, conservation, and a rethinking of human-wildlife coexistence policies. The activists aim to pressure authorities to halt the killings and to invest in more compassionate and effective baboon management strategies before the species faces even greater risks.
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