The City has reached a tentative agreement with Shark Spotters to help keep baboons in check on the Cape Peninsula.

The mayoral committee has given the nod to the plan, which will now go before the city council, on Thursday December 5, for consideration, and if passed there, the deal will be formalised, the City said in a statement, last week.

The announcement came five days after the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (JTT), comprising representatives from SANParks, CapeNature, and the City, noted that NCC Environmental Service had been awarded a one-month contract to continue running the City’s urban baboon programme for December, albeit at reduced capacity during the busy holiday season.

The environmental consulting company was appointed through a request for quotation process, which was advertised by the City last month, to ensure a presence of baboon rangers in an effort to keep troops out of the urban area.

In August, the City unexpectedly cut its contract with the NCC short due to “insufficient budget” for its services beyond November 30. NCC was initially contracted to manage the urban baboon programme and provide rangers until December 31.

NCC said, in a statement on Facebook, that it was grateful for the opportunity to continue providing its services, but it noted that a “funding shortfall” from the City, which finances much of the project, meant there would be 25% fewer rangers on the ground.

Sarah Waries, CEO of the non-profit Shark Spotters, said the proposal to now include them in the baboon management programme was still in its early stages with budgets and other details needing to be finalised.

“It’s not definite that it’s going to go ahead at the moment, but if it does, we hope to make a difference,” she said.

Shark Spotters’ two decades of helping to prevent shark attacks on Cape Town’s beaches could translate well to managing the Cape Peninsula baboons, she said, but added: “We’re still in discussions and waiting to secure the necessary resources to do a good job. If everything falls into place, we will move ahead with the partnership.”

The JTT said in a statement that Shark Spotters was the most suitable partner to keep a sustainable, wild baboon population in natural habitats while minimising human-baboon conflict. Shark Spotters could source grant funding and resources from businesses and community sponsors for managing baboon ranger services, running public education, carrying out research into baboon populations and other operational tasks.

According to the proposal, the City would contribute R9 million in grant funding to Shark Spotters in the current financial year followed by R12 million in 2025/26 and another R12 million in 2026/27.

The City said SANParks and CapeNature had also expressed their intention to contribute, with their specific roles to be defined in separate agreements.

Once formalised, Shark Spotters would focus on hiring staff to monitor baboon troops, developing infrastructure to separate natural and urban areas, and establishing a dedicated research programme.

Lynda Silk, chairperson of Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation said: “We are happy that the authorities have at last given us their plan for baboon management going forward. But with unforeseen turns and short-notice sharp corners, those currently working on the ground are still in limbo.”

Uncertainty over job security and reduced ranger numbers could impact morale and effectiveness, she said.

“Unless funding improves, we are down 25% on our ranger numbers for December. This means fewer hours on the ground and more baboons entering urban areas, which could persist into January.”

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