Why you shouldn't feed baboons?

I was reading up on an article about our CHACMA BABOON in South Africa, often seen when touring the countryside, particularly in the Cape.You see the signs along side roads asking us
" Please do not feed the baboons" this is for a reason as you might of gathered but why is this?

• You may think it's fun and that you are helping them survive, but they then learn to associate food with humans.
• They become demanding, grabbing food, jumping onto cars, and can cause injury.
• Troops start frequenting roadsides in the hope of being fed, leading to baboon injuries and death by vehicles.

However feeding a baboon is actually illegal and this law is there to protect us. Generally baboons that are fed by humans start to become aggressive and in the end are shot.

The Chacma baboon is also known as the Cape baboon, is from the Old World Monkey family. The Chacma baboon is amongst the largest and heaviest baboon species and the largest of the monkey family. Baboons can grow up to 120cm tall and their tails are around 2 feet long. Males can have large canine teeth as long as 2 inches.They are dark brown to grey in colour and have a long, downward sloping face with close-set eyes under a heavy brow. Baboons walk on all four feet with their tails held in a crooked arch over their back.

Baboons in the Western Cape forage on over 100 different species of fynbos . Human food is full of calories and easily digestible relative to fynbos making it very attractive to baboons. However humans have encroached on natural areas as towns expand and with urban sprawl comes animal conflict as the latter are displaced and make for uneasy neighbours.

Baboon troops that live close to urban areas have fewer adult males than undisturbed troops. The lack of natural predators suggests that the males are being killed as a result of direct conflict with humans. Lone dispersing males are often seen as "rogues" and are treated as a threat to humans. It is important to realise that lone males reflect the natural movement of the males between troops which is nature's way of preventing inbreeding, as males do not mate with their mothers, sisters or aunts.
Killing males within troops has much wider implications for it opens the door for new males to immigrate into the troop. When this happens, the new male typically kills the previous male's offspring. One study of an urban troop reported that 53% of all infants born, died within their first year. It was suspected that most of these deaths were due to infanticide. The males engage in this shocking behaviour because without the cost of nursing an infant, females quickly come into oestrus and he is thus able to mate with her sooner than had she raised her infant.

Baboons are highly intelligent, adaptable wild animals. They learn quickly and many residents feel that they are under siege when troops invade their living space. Baboons have learnt to associate humans with food. Baboons know that human-derived food means that they do not have to spend hours foraging to obtain the nutrition they need. Therefore, the underlying principle is to make sure that what ever you do, you prevent baboons from having easy access to human-derived food.
Should you live in area where baboons frequant your living space then addressing a baboon problem on your property by identify what is attracting the baboons. These can be food, water or garbage, or a combination. Take action to remove the source, or at least make it a lot harder for the baboon to get to what is attracting them in the first place. Then look at ways of deterring baboons from your property.

Please read the following important points when travelling in SA and what to do when you encounter baboons and your safety in this regard:

The Do Nots:
 1.Open car windows or doors or get out your car
 2.Feed baboons
 3.Try to grab back or hold onto your bag if a baboon steals it
 4.Throw food packaging out your car. Throw it in baboon proof bins provided.
 5.Scream when you see a baboon or try to chase it
 6.Get between a mother baboon and their baby
 7.Leave small children without attention or let them get close to the baboons
 8.Take pets near the baboons
 9.Tease the baboon by holding food out of reach to it
 10.Try to touch the baboon. This reduces their natural fear of humans and you may get bitten
 11.Eat in front of the baboons or show them that you have food with you or in the car

The Do's .
 1.Lock car doors if you get out of the vehicle at a view site where baboons may be present
 2.Stay in the car if baboons are near, and lock the car door
 3.Hide food stored in the car if you leave the car
 4.Take your camera out of its bag so that the baboon sees it as a camera and not as a bag that may hold food

Touching baboons is prohibited and can cause human injury if the male baboons interpret your behaviour as potentially causing harm to the troop. Baboons can potentially transfer human-carried diseases to baboons and vice versa.

What to do when a baboon is in your home or holiday accommodation.

1. Firstly remain calm, and do not block their exit route. Baboons can read human body language and if you appear threatening, they will be nervous and unpredictable. Do not stare at them or look them directly in the eyes as this will be interpreted as aggressive behaviour and they make react similarly.
2. Make sure that they have an obvious escape route – open windows and doors.
3. Act with confidence (be the alpha male) and show them you are serious about getting them out your space
4. Do not try to get food back from a baboon, it will fight you to retain the food
5. Work towards getting the baboon towards the shortest escape route.
6. Encourage the baboon towards the escape route with a water spray bottle.

Lets not work against these animals. They are entitled to their living space as much as we think we are, it is a problem we can not change and therefore have to deal with such sitautions in the best repsonsible manner possible.

Should you be visiting Plettenberg Bay in the Garden route, do make a stop in at the Tenikwa Rehab Centre, they offer one hour guided tours you are guaranteed to see the charismatic Cheetah, Leopard and enjoy a cat and mouse game with South Africa ’s seldom seen Lesser indigenous cats, such as the African Wild Cat, Servals and Caracal. Experience the inquisitiveness of the busy Meerkats, watch the Blue Cranes dance and take pleasure in getting to know the mischievous Marabou Storks. Also on offer is a really unique exxperience to spend some quality time with an endangered creature, as you "Walk with the Cheetahs".