Category: Uncategorized
KVET PRESS RELEASE FRIDAY 25 AUGUST 2023
KVET PRESS RELEASE FRIDAY 25 AUGUST 2023
This press release is a direct response to the statement sent out by Overstrand Municipal Manager Dean O’Neill at 5pm on Friday 25th August 2023. Please read the statements in conjunction for clarity and write directly to the list of officials provided at the beginning of the KVET statement.
Statement by Dean O’Neill:
25 August 2023: Update on the Pringle Bay baboons Overstrand Municipality received numerous complaints about rogue baboons in Pringle Bay.
According to residents, there is one male baboon in particular, called Blue Tag, that has been habituated to such an extent that he no longer displays any fear of humans. Residents are “robbed” of their shopping as they exit shops, and some have experienced minor injuries after tussles with Blue Tag.
It has been established earlier in the year that Blue Tag is not a native of the Pringle Bay troop and migrated from its natal troop in Gordon’s Bay earlier in this year.
The Municipality is currently liaising with the relevant officials at the City of Cape Town to capture Blue Tag and to return him to his natal troop, in accordance with the G04 – Guidelines for Dispersing/Displaced male baboon(s) in Urban Areas.
At this time, we would also like to report that HKM1 has moved to Silversands troop on 9 August, and we have had no interaction with this male since it has moved. It was originally from the larger Hangklip troop, but we have no evidence of current raiding behaviour from it in the towns of Bettys Bay or Pringle Bay.
REM1 has become the Alpha male of the PB troop and although it is raiding in the CBD and residential areas and is teaching the juveniles these raiding traits, it will be very unwise to remove the Alpha male from the troop. This will disrupt the social structure of the troop and there is no known male at this point that can take over from REM1 in the position of Alpha male. The Municipality will keep a watchful eye on it, but not remove the baboon at this stage.
Residents in towns where baboons are known to be present are once again reminded that it is an offense to feed baboons. Also do not interfere with our staff working with the baboons and refrain from treating these wild animals as pets or family members.
Issued by: Overstrand Municipal Manager, Dean O’Neill
KVET RESPONSE:
DA Premier Alan Winde: winde@westerncape.gov.za
DA Minister of Local Government Affairs and Government Planning Anton Bredell: anton.bredell@westerncape.gov.za
DA Mayor Annelie Rabie, Mayor Overstrand: annelierabie@overstrand.gov.za; akorver@overstrand.gov.za
Municipal Manager Dean O’Neill: mm@overstarnd.gov.za Infrastructure, Planning and Environmental Issues Steven Muller: smuller@overstrand.gov.za
OM Senior Environmental Manager Liezl de Villiers: ldevilliers@overstrand.gov.za
OM Project Manager Baboon Management Plan Jill Hendriks: projectmanagerbmp@overstrand.gov.za
DA Ward Counsellor Theresa Els: tels@overstrand.gov.za
On December 23rd 2022, Overstrand Municipality sent out a statement declaring the removal/ relocation of 4 Pringle Bay “dispersing” male baboons.
KVET, a non profit, community-based project responded by sending out a worldwide press release to halt this action.
The EMS Foundation for the “advancement and protection of the rights and general welfare of wild animals, children, elderly persons and other vulnerable groups in South Africa and Africa for the purpose of alleviating suffering” received said press release and in itself responded with a Cease and Desist.
Until tonight’s statement there have been months of communications from KVET members requesting a meeting between KVET and OM to work together for the best interests of the residents of the villages and the various baboon troops. 2 weeks ago KVET was informed that communication between KVET and OM was closed and that no meeting could take place. This decision was mailed directly to KVET from the DA Ward Counsellor.
However, a group called Rewild Pringle Bay Baboons, (a group who would like ALL baboons removed, euthanised or kept out of the urban edge 100% of the time), of which our DA Ward Councillor is a member, managed to get a face-to-face meeting with Mayor Rabie and 4 constituents only weeks ago.
Mayor Rabie reiterated that no baboon would be euthanised or removed “ON HER WATCH” much to the horror of the group of attendees from the anti baboon group.
An agreement was made that baboons would be kept out of the urban edge 80-90% of the time but absolutely no methodology or verifiable data collection methods were discussed.
In the meantime, since April 2023 the KVET BIO (Baboon Information Officer) Program has been present in the CBD area of Pringle Bay on a daily basis. This program was set up to focus on the shop raids and the various complaints about food grabs from baboons, in particular “Blue Tag”, in the CBD. Today Blue Tag is extremely infrequently entering the CBD.
There is however no acknowledgement that over the past 5 months there are almost no food grabs let alone baboons nor “Blue Tag’ coming into the village centre? Where is the acknowledgement that the Overstrand Eco Rangers do nothing to stop any food grabs (just like HWS previously) but that the KVET BIO’s have single handedly brought the CBD back to a peaceful place to shop and stroll around in. The “Black Bag Shopping Initiative” has also helped many residents and visitors alike, understand that this is a baboon declared area and care must be taken with carrying visible food around.
KVET has kept a daily log collecting data of all baboon movements, incursions and food grabs but are unable to show this data to OM for lack of a transparent meeting. It seems that OM is not impartial and have only one agenda and that is to get votes and will make false statements to get those. It must be noted that “Blue Tag” did not arrive in Pringle Bay in 2023 as mentioned in the above statement by our Municipal Manager. He arrived in July/ August of 2022. He has therefore long passed the threshold of the G04 guidelines for dispersing/ displaced male baboon(s). He is now a resident of Pringle Bay. He is often seen integrating with the Pringle Bay troop as well as the Hangklip troop. There is video evidence of him mating with females and is therefore possibly father to one or some of the babies born in both troops in 2023. ANY ACTION TO REMOVE HIM UNDER THE G04 GUIDELINES IS NO LONGER APPLICABLE.
It should also be noted that “Blue Tag” has never been seen nor reported to have entered a residence or shop. He does however spend a lot of time at the Pringle Bay dump site. This is a waste management issue and not a baboon issue.
Statements referring to and regarding the term “interference” have been taken seriously by KVET and a definition of the word “interference” has been requested on numerous occasions to ensure that no person, resident or BIO working with KVET intervenes with any baboon management program of the Overstrand Municipality. To date no definition or explanation has been given. It is KVET’s understanding that all public area’s are accessible to all persons and residents of the Overstrand and therefore no laws are being broken nor is any “interference” of any kind taking place.
We, KVET, The Kogelberg Villages Environmental Trustees, once again, publicly, request an urgent meeting with the relevant parties of OM to discuss the baboon management plan in the Overstrand Villages.
Announcement: BIO PROJECT for the Betty’s Bay troop
KVET is happy to announce that as of 1 August, we will be initiating a BIO PROJECT for the Betty’s Bay troop.
This is an extension of the KVET BIO program which has been successful in the CBD area of Pringle Bay.
This 1st phase of the Betty’s Bay / Kleinmond project will be for observation purposes only.
PRESS RELEASE – KVET TO EXTEND CBD BIO PRESENCE FOR A FURTHER 3 MONTHS
KVET is happy to announce that the PILOT BIO PROGRAM which began just before the busy Easter weekend of April 2023 will be extended by a further 3 months (July to September).
A KVET presence will also extend to Betty’s Bay in due course.
The BIO PROGRAM was initiated in the Pringle Bay CBD area to ensure that baboons would not linger in the business district whilst passing through to their various natural foraging sites.
Residents, businesses, shoppers and visitors have all been assisted with the SHOPPING BAG INITIATIVE. This is a preventative measure against “visible food” for the baboons. Education regarding human derived food and the baboons has been a top priority and the BIO’s have handed out over 1000 black canvas bags and education pamphlets over the last 3 months. KVET would like to thank the communities in Pringle Bay and Betty’s Bay for the donations of these bags without which the program would have not been as successful.
We have been complimented on how the program has created a much calmer atmosphere in the CBD and KVET has observed a greater awareness and mindfulness of the Pringle Bay residents.
We would like to thank our residents who have responded so positively to the efforts of KVET and our dedicated BIOs in the CBD. We aim to continue providing this service in the CBD so that our residents and visitors remain relaxed whilst shopping, food attractants are removed and the baboons are encouraged to stay outside of the CBD area.
Update on the Baboon Management Program – Statement in the Overstrand Herald
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE – HWS is out, now can Overstrand Municipality please listen to our needs?
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE – HWS is out, now can Overstrand Municipality please listen to our needs?
It is with absolute trepidation that KVET (The Kogelberg Village Environmental Trustees) find themselves being informed by the Overberg Municipality that they have cancelled their very important and public tender for the Management of the Kogelberg Baboons. This is a huge disappointment as it is such an important and urgent matter to be attended to. We have had so many failures in supporting and looking after our own environment and this is most definitely a huge opportunity missed.
It is very important to point out at this juncture that community meetings were called by Mayor Rabie to assess and allegedly work with the community and to listen to our needs. It was a resounding YES that the community asked for a community programme and Mayor Rabie advised the residents to meet with the relevant ward councillor to state what we want the community programme to look like and in full halls the community did just that.
KVET have worked relentlessly to bring stability to the management of our baboons by firstly presenting the OM with a very comprehensive proposal as to how it is possible to
manage the baboons with the support of the local communities, the baboons in our environment, and taking the initiative to bring calmness to the villages and environment.
This proposal was rejected as OM decided to go out to tender. In March a tender was issued by the OM for the management of baboons and KVET participated and presented a very comprehensive and financially viable tender to the OM based on input from Betty’s Bay Baboon Action Group (BBBAG), Betty’s Bay Conservancy (BBC) and Pringle Bay Rewilding
(PBR).
When HWS walked off-site in Pringle Bay earlier in the year following a dispute with the OM, the village remained in baboon chaos but had the opportunity to change the way the baboons were managed and treated, showing that local community management is a viable and better option to deal with the baboons. KVET stepped up and placed four Baboon Information Officers (BIOs) in the town to put an end to the issues of baboon activities in the town centre.
We have found that most of the residents consider this a very positive approach and experience. We must keep in mind that it is somewhat easier to sit at home and fight a furious battle on Facebook and be judgemental rather than to go out into the sun, rain, cold and wind to ensure that the human baboon conflict is kept under control. Now the OM has terminated the tender citing lack of funds. One could ask why they issued a tender which contained a lot of specifications that added to the cost thereof, if they did not have sufficient funds?
Allegedly, OM have decided to go down the route of mass employment of local EPWP (Expanded Public Works Programme) individuals. We are concerned as to the level of training in baboon management, the management of waste and the environment. This also means that our communities will be managed by strangers with no understanding of our villages, our residents or our baboons and all the relevant management of waste, etc that goes with such an endeavour.
KVET is still determined to be positive. We are offering our skills and resources to work with the OM in developing a community-based baboon management program. It is possible and has worked in various other environments and areas. KVET has valuable experience with working and training monitors. It has always been our approach and policy to employ local people and upskill and train such individuals in all the necessary skills required to enable positive and efficient management of our environment.
The key is management and training from local management that live within Bettys Bay and Pringle Bay.
Our biosphere can be leading the pack in a strategic approach towards managing the wildlife that forms an integral part of the Kogelberg villages.
Please put nature first and work with us to keep the wildlife in our biosphere.
Welcome to KVET
Dear Reader,
Welcome to our website.
The reason you find yourselves on this page is most likely due to a shared interest in living in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve and all the wonders that it encompasses. You might also be wondering who we, the Kogelberg Villages Environmental Trustees (KVET) are and what it is that we do.
The Kogelberg Villages Environmental Trustees formed out of a shared concern for the well-being of Chacma Baboons in the Overstrand area, where their presence has become a divisive issue. We believe that by increasing awareness and fostering collaboration within the community, we can create a more harmonious relationship with these animals. By implementing waste management bylaws, enforcing proper baboon-proofing of homes and businesses, and strengthening gun and animal anti-cruelty laws, we can make a significant difference.
Protecting the Cape Chacma baboon in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve is crucial for maintaining the ecological balance of the region. As an important keystone species, these baboons play a significant role in seed dispersal and controlling the growth of invasive plants, thereby helping to maintain the biodiversity of the region. Additionally, baboons are an important cultural and tourist attraction in the area, and their protection can contribute to the sustainability of the local economy. Moreover, Cape Chacma baboons face many threats including habitat loss, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict, making it even more crucial to implement conservation measures to ensure their survival. Protecting this species in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve is therefore not only important for the baboons themselves but also for the overall health and well-being of the ecosystem and the human communities that depend on it.
We welcome you to join us in our effort to create a better future for both humans and baboons for generations to come.
Nicolette Maritz – Chair
Kogelberg Villages Environmental Trustees
Mini-documentary by Eric Miller
The following mini-documentary was made by Eric Miller and illustrates the current reality and developments in Pringle Bay, including our role as KVET.
Eric Miller: The Easter weekend highlighted some of the large schisms in Pringle Bay around baboon issues. My personal take on it is that pretty much everyone in the village agrees on one fundamental issue…. that baboons do not belong in the village. They should be encouraged out of the village humanely to find food only by foraging in the wild, on the basis that human food is unhealthy for baboons, and the food grabs (which are not a new phenomenon) create widespread anxiety, fear and anger resulting in community divisions. Right now, this particular video story has a happy ending which vindicates the efforts of the KVET volunteers who spent so much time and energy trying to curtail the blue tag baboon (aka Kanye) over Easter from grabbing shoppers’ food purchases.
Pringle Bay Baboon Information Officer (BIO) – Pilot Programme
The Pringle Bay BIO Programme
KVET’s Pringle Bay Baboon Information Officer (PB BIO) Programme is designed to lessen human/baboon conflict, protect both wildlife and property, and raise awareness of what it means to
live in and around a biosphere.
KVET will hire and train Baboon Information Officers (BIOs) who will be stationed in and around the Pringle Bay CBD. During the pilot these BIOs will also receive training from various
experienced organisations and persons.
BIO tasks will be as follows:
● to assist the businesses by way of warning signals (whistles) if baboons enter the CBD.
● to assist shoppers to and from their cars with their grocery bags.
● to alert the general public when baboons are in the area.
● to educate the general public about baboon behaviour.
● to maintain a baboon free zone in the CBD for as much as is possible using “Humane. Not.
Pain” tactics.
The BIO’s will in no way interfere with the current baboon management programme. KVET’s PB BIOs are a resident-led initiative to supplement existing programmes.
View: Letter to Businesses
UPDATE 29 June 2023
KVET TO EXTEND CBD BIO PRESENCE FOR A FURTHER 3 MONTHS
KVET is happy to announce that the PILOT BIO PROGRAM which began just before the busy Easter weekend of April 2023 will be extended by a further 3 months (July to September).
A KVET presence will also extend to Betty’s Bay in due course.
The BIO PROGRAM was initiated in the Pringle Bay CBD area to ensure that baboons would not linger in the business district whilst passing through to their various natural foraging sites.
Residents, businesses, shoppers and visitors have all been assisted with the SHOPPING BAG INITIATIVE. This is a preventative measure against “visible food” for the baboons. Education regarding human derived food and the baboons has been a top priority and the BIO’s have handed out over 1000 black canvas bags and education pamphlets over the last 3 months. KVET would like to thank the communities in Pringle Bay and Betty’s Bay for the donations of these bags without which the program would have not been as successful.
We have been complimented on how the program has created a much calmer atmosphere in the CBD and KVET has observed a greater awareness and mindfulness of the Pringle Bay residents.
We would like to thank our residents who have responded so positively to the efforts of KVET and our dedicated BIOs in the CBD. We aim to continue providing this service in the CBD so that our residents and visitors remain relaxed whilst shopping, food attractants are removed and the baboons are encouraged to stay outside of the CBD area.
UPDATE 31 July 2023
KVET is happy to announce that as of 1 August, we will be initiating a pilot BIO PROJECT for the Betty’s Bay troop.
This is an extension of the KVET BIO program which has been successful in the CBD area of Pringle Bay.
This 1st phase of the Betty’s Bay / Kleinmond project will be for observation purposes only.
The Gardener’s Tale by Richard Gould
The Gardener’s Tale
Like so many who live along the Garden Route we take the Fynbos for granted and assume that it will always be there for us and generations to come. Our Proteas and Ericas grow and flower without any of the effort that we put into the gardens that surround our homes. We don’t mow the Fynbos or put down fertilizer or get down on our knees to dig out the alien weeds.
Instead we take it for granted and cause wildfires with careless braais and illegal fireworks that wreak havoc with the natural cycle of the Fynbos. We take hikes through the Fynbos and leave behind our litter while putting nothing back to preserve the Garden Route for future generations.
But if that were the only thing we were doing it would be bad enough but instead we have embarked on a campaign to kill off all of the gardeners whose daily work is to maintain the health and sustainability of the Fynbos garden. Without them our Garden Route will turn into a barren wasteland of parched earth, tarred roads and concrete buildings.
Ecosystems are a delicate balance and by brutally killing off our gardeners we prevent them from reseeding and fertilizing 24 species of Fynbos. These gardeners do not need us to pay them for their labor or provide them with housing and electricity or healthcare. They have been successfully maintaining our Garden Route for millions of years without us.
So how do we “reward” our gardeners? We lie about them! We call them “marauders” and “dangerous” and treat them like “vermin”. We make no effort to understand the role they play in providing us with our Garden Route but instead we shoot them or cage them or drive them into areas where there is insufficient natural foraging in order for them to feed themselves.
So what will happen when we succeed in killing off all of our gardeners?
What will be left of what was once a Natural Wonder of the World? Will our grandchildren be forced to look at pictures of our National Flower because there are none left growing along what used to be known as the Garden Route?
Next time you see one or more of our gardeners please pause for a moment and realize that the natural beauty of the Fynbos that surrounds us is made possible by their tireless efforts. Without them our lives would be poorer because we actually need them far more than they need us. We are incapable of sustaining the Garden Route ourselves.
Gardens play a vital role in our lives because they connect us to our roots. We have a responsibility to preserve our Garden Route for future generations and without the selfless work of our gardeners we are going to fail to do our duty.
Our gardeners are key to the sustainability of the Garden Route.
Richard Gould
Welcome to the coastal conservancy villages of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve
Download: Full Size
