KVET STATEMENT TO ADDRESS FALSE ALLEGATIONS BY OVERSTRAND MUNICIPALITY

It has come to the attention of KVET that the Overstrand Municipality (OM) has made the following false allegations in the statement headlined “CAPTURE OF BABOON IN PRINGLE BAY”

“We observed that KVET (Kogelberg Villages Environmental Trustees) interfered in this operation by illegally driving the animal into the mountain.  Please note that this is an illegal action as KVET does not have the necessary permits to manage baboons.  They have been known to interfere with the baboon management programme for quite some time now and the Municipality urges Cape Nature to take firmer action against them than just a verbal warning.  This interference was further confirmed by a resident in the area which stated in a message that KVET “has done well to change the behaviour of Blue Tag”.”

KVET has placed Baboon Information Officers (BIOs) in the Pringle Bay CBD since 30 March 2023 after the previous service provider walked off the job. Over this time the amount of time that the baboon in question “Blue Tag” aka Kanye spent in the CBD significantly decreased. OM is correct in stating that KVET does not have a permit to “hunt” baboons and thus the BIOs are not permitted to herd the baboons and are only able to negate incidents by standing between the baboon and the food source. KVET has also been able to observe, document and collect data on the baboons. 

After this successful programme in the CBD, it became clear that the baboon had now turned his attention to the unsecured Overstrand Municipality dump site at the CBD entrance which is by all accounts a free-for-all feeding site for baboons (and other wildlife), a disgrace within a biosphere reserve town such as Pringle Bay. Due to this change in baboon behaviour, KVET has since the 15th of August 2023 in addition to 1 BIO in CBD, also placed 2 BIOs observing this baboon while he moves as well as observing him with the troop and a BIO team at the dumpsite, again to negate incidents by standing between the baboon and the food source. KVET has continued to observe, document and collect data on the baboons, an exercise that KVET deems vital due to the amount of unsubstantiated and false information being spread within the villages. 

On the day in question, the 20th of September 2023 the KVET BIOs have timestamped photographic evidence of the “Blue Tag”  Baboon. He was observed at the dumpsite when they arrived on duty at 07h40, he remained and circled the dump until 09h29. At 09h33 he crossed the greenbelt towards Caspar Road and continued to be observed around the Caesar Road area until 10h27. At 10h50 he was observed in the mountain area above Caesar Road towards the Brodie Link hiking trail. At 10h55 the one KVET BIO who was observing him was able to photograph him from Brode Link, he had now moved into private property and so at 11h05 the BIOs left the area as they could not continue to observe him as he moved further into the Private Property. At 11h42 while walking back towards the dumpsite the BIOs passed an OM Eco Ranger (ER) heading the other way (in the direction where the baboon had gone). At 12h21 the ER then came back down towards the dumpsite and asked the dumpsite workers if they had seen the baboon. At 12h32 this ER was observed scanning the Fynbos and staring at the mountainside evidently still looking for the baboon. 

At 12h27 the KVET BIOs were located two at the dumpsite in case the baboon returned, one on Caesar Road observing for if he returned down the mountain, and one on his way to the point area to observe the rest of the troop. At 13h02 an Overstrand bakkie was observed entering Pringle Bay with a cage and all BIOs returned immediately to the dumpsite where further KVET volunteers and other community members and volunteers converged to observe what the OM was planning to do with the cage. 

The OM vehicles, as well as Law Enforcement, one resident reports to have counted 22 Law Enforcement Officers, and at least 6 vehicles including K9 units in addition to the OM Senior Manager, Baboon Project Manager, the Senior Ranger for the baboon project and approximately 15 Eco Rangers (who could have been better placed monitoring the PB and BB troops who were left unattended), then proceeded to the Top of Carla Road followed by a number of concerned Kogelberg Residents, KVET volunteers and KVET BIOs. This group converged at the reservoir where the residents demanded to know why the OM was taking this action instead of focusing their attention on the source of the problem and making sure the dumpsite aka baboon feeding station was properly secured and no longer a source of attraction for wildlife. A number of ERs and Police proceeded up over the mountain apparently in search of the baboon and there are a number of photos and videos of this, all while the KVET BIOs and volunteers congregated at the reservoir and not one member was on the mountain at all let alone “driving the animal into the mountain” as the OM states. 

Again, it seems that the OM is intent on sharing false information and pointing the blame to the residents, ratepayers and the wildlife themselves instead of addressing the real problem, the fact that they are completely incapable of addressing waste management in the biosphere reserve towns, at this point, the OM are “feeding” the wildlife themselves by allowing this free access to these food sources. Instead of spending financial resources and ratepayers money on bringing out a squad of K9 units, and multiple Law Enforcement and Traffic Police teams to intimidate residents who question their inhumane actions the OM should be spending the money on cleaning up their act with regards to waste, enough is enough!