Beggars and Other Problem Animals

[Lisbeth]

I am convinced that proper bins would do a big difference. Lots of night animals arrive when everybody is sleeping. Just look through the TTs and count the baboons raiding bins

[Dzombo]

Well done to Richard for taking off his very busy and committed job to deal with the tourist, honestly, as she says.

There is no way a Kruger self-catering camp can be compared to a private lodge regarding control and maintenance of baboons and monkeys. As said there, the modus operandi of trapping and shooting is tried and trusted over decades.

There is just too much food lying around and brought in daily by a plethora of guests with varying degrees of responsibility. It doesn't help much blaming garbage disposal, although that will maybe help, because the primates are clever and learn, and also test their human adversaries.

This is just how it works. If the lady can get a million dollar donation from somewhere, they can translocate 40 baboons at a time.

Also remember that the primates progress and eventually injure tourists and their children.

You must see the outrage when that happens!

I agree with this post 1,000%

It's easy to point fingers at refuse management, people purposefuly feeding them etc. But sometimes it's not even food lying around. Last visit at Tschokwane, ververts were stealing food right off plates at the tables.

I have had a few unpleasant (one that could have ended in a really nasty way) incidents with baboons and vervets over the years.
As unplesant as it may be, I think that problem animals need to be destroyed.

[Lisbeth]

It does not resolve the problem.

[Dzombo]

It does not resolve the problem.

No it doesn't.
But since there is a problem; it needs to be dealt with.

I think the only way to solve the problem is to seperate people and animals. Ie keep the primates out of the camps and picnic spots.
But that is almost impossible to do.

[Richprins]

This thing of "we are guests in the animals' home " is also exaggerated. Although we are a horrendous species, we have actually existed in most wild areas since most of the current mammal species arrived there, and before. We have every right to traverse nature, but within limits.

[Dzombo]

Well yes, we are in their natural habitat etc.
But if an animal does something to threaten my safety, that is not ok. Particularly in a camp which is a "human enclave", as it was.

[Lisbeth]

IMO the first thing to do is to get those baboon/monkey proof bins! Then maybe there will be less problem animals.

[Klipspringer]

From FB Group


Managing the problem of rogue primates (monkeys and baboons) in the park
SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL PARKS·MITTWOCH, 11. DEZEMBER 2019·

Primates like baboons and monkeys are a problem in several of the camps and picnic sites in Kruger, and indeed in other parks and locations where people and primates share space over extended periods of time. They are intelligent and adaptive animals and are very agile and strong, using overarching trees to gain access to fenced off areas such as camps. Fencing a camp so that it is entirely impervious to primates has unpleasant repercussions in the large trees that need to be cut down. At unfenced areas, such as picnic spots, they learn very quickly to associate people with high calorie food (something not part of the natural diet) and target more vulnerable groups, such as children, women and the elderly, eventually showing aggression to get that food, through intimidation, charging and even biting. It is also unfortunate that we still have incidents where some visitors disregard the park’s rules by feeding these poor animals. Even a once-off not clearing up your plate after you have completed a meal, trains a primate to the “wonders of human food”, in terms of calories, sugars, easy access, and low effort acquisition. “Why forage, when you can hang around a picnic spot and intimidate tourists to get easy food”.
However, this is not a new situation, and Kruger’s staff have had to manage the actions of rogue primates throughout the history of the park. What is more of a factor now is that the park is attracting more tourists than ever before, and with increased volumes comes an increase in incidents of this nature. Most guests behave impeccably, but there are always a handful who do irresponsible things like feeding wildlife or taunting them and thus contribute to them becoming bolder and dangerous.
Many approaches have been tried over the years where primates get attracted to facilities where there are humans, hoping to find food. In the rest camps, guests are encouraged to keep their belongings safe, locked inside their cars or accommodation or to make use of lockable cages where these are provided.
Primates have also become attracted to camps because they have lost their fear of man, have learned that predators do not occur there, and that the environment inside the camp is safe. This is an unnatural situation. Naturally humans are the apex predator and it is best when primates retain their fear of human environments and stay away from the camps.
The catch and release (relocation) process is one of the interventions which has been tried in the past, but does not solve the problem. Primates have complex social structures and relocating problem animals to new areas can have disastrous effects on the dynamics of the troops in those areas and also result in the passing on of the inappropriate behaviour. In many documented occasions the problem animals continue the behaviour in the new location, or some make their way back to their original territory, even if this is over great distances, showing that animals have amazing powers of navigation. The behaviour is often a collective learning and removing individuals only sees others in the troop take their place.
The Park acknowledges the problem, and is working collectively towards a holistic and sustainable approach to the problem primate issue. This includes responsible waste management systems and continuous education and awareness amongst visitors. Upon visiting the Kruger National Park, every visitor needs to subscribe to a code of ethics that is responsible towards the natural environment. We care about the safety of our guests and are taking urgent and considered responses to tackle the primate problem. We want guests to feel safe at all times while in the park and to be able to observe monkeys and baboons living free in their natural and wild environment.

[Lisbeth]

I never had a doubt that we will have to live with them

[Richprins]

Seems a reasonable summary.

They are basically saying for the time being the trusty rifle will be the way to go, and what can one do?

Dwarf and I were accosted by a baboon or monkey once at Nwamanzi lookout on the Olifants river quite far away from the nearest camp or picnic site. The thing went straight into the car and swiped some food in a bag!