Cape court ruling supports baboon management amid growing opposition.
Image: Francesco Ungaro/ Pexels
The Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT), comprising representatives from SANParks, CapeNature, and the City of Cape Town, has welcomed a significant ruling from the Western Cape High Court.
The court judgment, delivered on 25 February 2026, dismissed an application by the Liberty Fighters Network and Reyno de Beer that sought to halt key elements of the Action Plan for managing the Chacma baboon population. This ruling enables the three authorities to proceed with vital strategies outlined in the Cape Peninsula Baboon Strategic Management Plan (CPBSMP).
The case was heard on 19 February 2026, and the court notably remarked that “Litigation is not a game,” addressing concerns about frivolous use of the judicial process. The court declared the application “fatally flawed” and emphasized that the litigants lacked standing as per the Constitution, failing to demonstrate that their actions served the public interest. It described their invocation of urgent court proceedings as an “abuse of process.”
In its judgement, the court reaffirmed the legal standing of SANParks, CapeNature, and the City of Cape Town to implement the Action Plan, which aims to ensure a sustainable, healthy, and free-ranging baboon population with minimal human intervention. This initiative rests upon the premise that baboons are integral to the region's biodiversity and natural ecology, deserving of conservation and management efforts to enhance their welfare.
With a cap on the number of baboons the Peninsula can support due to ecological and health limitations, ongoing management is essential. Urban interactions have proven detrimental, leading to health issues for the baboons and increased risks of human-wildlife conflict. The management strategy prioritizes restricting baboons’ presence in urbanised areas, ensuring they do not exploit agricultural or residential spaces.
An earlier protest in Simon's Town against the plans of the City of Cape Town to manage baboon troops.
Image: Mandilakhe Tshwete / Independent Media
Yet, the CPBSMP has incited widespread controversy. A recent petition spearheaded by Animal Survival International (ASI) garnered over 16,000 signatures. ASI criticises he City for its plans to capture, confine, and sterilise wild baboons, branding these practices as inhumane and economically irresponsible. ASI's executive director, David Barritt, condemned Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis for dismissing community concerns, accusing him of distancing himself from a public plan that allocates R12-million of taxpayer money.
“The City cannot separate itself from using public funds for a plan that is fundamentally cruel,” Barritt asserted, urging the leadership to reconsider the approach. Confining baboons not only disrupts their social structures but also threatens their long-term survival, as it would interfere with their natural behaviours essential for ecological balance.
Addressing human-baboon conflicts, Barritt emphasized, “The solution is not punishment, it’s prevention.” He highlighted practical alternatives such as the installation of baboon-proof waste bins, enforcing regulations against feeding wildlife, strengthening the employment of trained baboon rangers, and conducting public education campaigns to foster responsible human conduct.
The CPBSMP includes plans for specific baboon troops, including the relocation of the Seaforth troop to a designated enclosure, which critics argue is both cruel and impractical. Each baboon will undergo medical examinations prior to relocation, with sterilisation measures strictly regulated.
As the community grapples with this contentious issue, calls for a paradigm shift towards humane and scientifically informed management practices grow louder. Proponents for coexistence argue the necessity for humane alternatives to safeguard both wildlife and human communities, steering the narrative towards compassion rather than confinement.