Was he a furry menace with rotting teeth and a fiery temper? Or just a regular bloke looking for a cheap takeout?
Either way, Scarface the Baboon is dead, the latest “rogue” baboon to be killed despite last-minute efforts to relocate him from his home turf in Betty’s Bay in the Western Cape to a wildlife sanctuary.
The demise of Scarface, officially called BBM1, has reignited debate about the province’s baboon management policy.
The animal was captured and killed last Saturday because his would-be rescuers did not have the “necessary permits” for his translocation to Limpopo.
“CapeNature and Overstrand municipality, which is the administrative authority for Betty’s Bay and surrounding towns, agreed that it was not humane to keep BBM1 sedated and caged for an undisclosed time and the final decision was taken to euthanise BBM1,” the municipality said this week in response to queries.
The decision has been met with disbelief by those opposed to the province’s baboon management policy, among them the Betty’s Bay Baboon Action Group, whose members have been actively “shepherding” baboons in an attempt to reduce raiding behaviour.
Led by founding member Pete Oxford, a world-renowned conservation photographer, the group is calling for a softer approach towards baboons, particularly in Betty’s Bay, which falls inside a biosphere reserve.
“This is a human-caused problem,” Oxford told Sunday Times Daily. “A baboon is a baboon - it is an opportunistic feeder.”
He said the current policy of killing or relocating so-called “problem animals” was short-sighted and ineffectual. “It hasn’t worked. And it certainly doesn’t solve the problem,” Oxford said, adding the aggressive tactic of trying to expel baboons from Betty’s Bay had caused more harm than good — splintering a troop that had become completely habituated to the urban environment.
This is a human-caused problem. A baboon is a baboon -- it is an opportunistic feeder.
But the municipality insists its Baboon Management Joint Task Team (BMJTT) had no option but to target “Scarface” in light of a recent upsurge in raiding behaviour. His fate was sealed at a meeting to consider an independent report on the troop that habitually moves between Betty’s Bay and neighbouring Kleinmond.
“The independent assessor’s report was received in mid-August 2021 and the BMJTT was convened on September 1 2021 to consider the report and the information previously submitted about BBM1,” the municipality said. “The BMJTT considered the case history of BBM1 for the period from April 19 2021 to July 31 2021. During this period there were 94 incidents involving BBM1, of which 21 were raiding of occupied houses, 11 incidents of threatening behaviour and 35 incidents of breaking in, entering and damaging property. He had also charged and challenged the staff appointed to manage baboons on numerous occasions.
“The case history and statistics analysed indicated an increase in the number of incidents by BBM1 over the period analysed. It was also reported that the Betty’s Bay/Kleinmond baboons have completely lost their fear of humans. Other evidence considered was information submitted by residents of Betty’s Bay of damage to properties, pets mauled and homes raided,” the municipality said.
As a result, a unanimous decision was taken “to remove BBM1 (Scarface) from the troop” and a permit duly acquired for euthanasia. “The municipality reluctantly sanctioned the euthanasia of this individual baboon as all other options had been exhausted and it would assist in the long-term sustainable conservation of the Bettys Bay/Kleinmond baboon troop,” the statement said.
Not so, says Oxford, who insists Scarface was not the aggressive primate described in official reports.
“We have been with Scarface for three years He can literally have his hand on a door handle and we can stop him going any further,” Oxford said, adding a firm rebuke was usually enough to halt him. “Scarface! NO! — and he will get it and just leave, without aggression. He turns his back, as if to say, ‘you got me this time, but I’m going to go and try somewhere else’.
“I’ve seen assertiveness, that increased, but not aggressiveness. I never saw him actually want to bite anything. Nor have baboons bitten anybody in Betty’s Bay,” Oxford said.
Toni Brockhoven, from Beauty Without Cruelty SA, confirmed the organisation had obtained a “stay of execution” on Saturday morning after a conversation with Overstrand mayor Dudley Coetzee.
“This was confirmed shortly after 11am and, according to video evidence, Scarface was still free until about 12.45pm, when he was trapped and then killed, while we were waiting for the relocation details,” Brockhoven said, adding baboons were paying the price for sloppy human waste management.
The Betty’s Bay standoff follows similar ones over baboon management, notably in Cape Town, where other high-profile baboons have been killed for raiding behaviour. Public opinion is largely divided over how to best manage the problem, including in Betty’s Bay where most residents agree that raiding behaviour has increased: “Before the baboons would try to open a window, but just two claps or a tall man standing up was all that was needed to chase them away,” said one long-time homeowner. “What has changed is the attitude of the baboons to the people. They are not frightened. They just stand their ground.”
Others say it is humans who need to become less aggressive if we wish to live in harmony with the remaining wildlife.
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