12 Signatures
500 for collection target
Petition addressed to: Betty's Bay residents
Petition to Overstrand Municipality: Demand for Stronger Baboon Management Measures
We, the undersigned residents and stakeholders of the Overstrand region, hereby call upon the Municipality to adopt a more decisive and effective approach to baboon management.
Background:
The current situation has become untenable. Baboons are causing extensive damage to property, disrupting daily life, and threatening the safety and wellbeing of residents. Increasingly, they are not only raiding homes but also forcing entry into houses and vehicles, creating a direct physical threat to residents. Due to the current lack of effective action, the neighbourhood has become their primary food source, further encouraging aggressive and destructive behaviour. While we acknowledge the ecological importance of baboons, the balance between conservation and community protection has tipped dangerously out of alignment.
Our Demands:
Reintroduction of Paintball Markers for Baboon Monitors
- Paintball markers have historically proven to be an effective, non-lethal deterrent. Their removal has weakened the ability of monitors to manage baboon incursions.
- We demand their immediate reinstatement to empower monitors with practical tools to keep baboons at bay.
Confine Baboons to the Mountain Side
- The baboons must be actively discouraged from entering residential and urban areas.
- A clear and consistent management strategy should be implemented to ensure baboons remain in their natural habitat, minimizing human-wildlife conflict.
Conclusion:
We urge Overstrand Municipality to act swiftly and decisively. Failure to address this issue undermines public safety, damages property, and erodes trust in local governance. By reintroducing proven deterrents and enforcing stricter habitat boundaries, the Municipality can restore balance and protect both residents and wildlife. Unless significant and immediate action is taken, we will exercise our democratic right to vote for new leadership in the upcoming municipal election.
We demand action now.
Reason
Why This Petition Matters
The urgency of this issue cannot be overstated. If the situation is not immediately addressed, both humans and baboons will suffer. Residents face escalating risks to their safety, property, and wellbeing as baboons grow bolder, forcing entry into homes and vehicles. At the same time, baboons are being drawn into unnatural and dangerous patterns of behaviour—relying on human neighbourhoods as their primary food source. This not only increases conflict but also jeopardizes the long‑term survival of the animals themselves.
Without decisive intervention, the outcome will be tragic: either human lives will be endangered, or baboons will be harmed as a consequence of unmanaged conflict. Effective management is the only way to protect both communities and wildlife, ensuring a sustainable balance where people can live safely and baboons can thrive in their natural habitat.
Thank you so much for your support, Andre Lourens, Betty's Bay
Question to the initiator
Petition details
Petition started:
06/06/2026
Collection ends:
12/05/2026
Region:
Overstrand Local Municipality
Topic:
Civil rights
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new language versionWhy people sign
I have been in Betty's since 1989, the baboon problem has never been this bad, we are prisoners in our own homes, they try to open closed doors, this afternoon even tried to open my bakkie door, my vege garden was destroyed last week, nothing eaten ,just uprooted, the monitors just follow them and blow vuvuselas, the authorities in Hermanus have no idea what we have to endure daily!!
These baboons are becoming a serious problem. One cannot leave any door or window open any more. They rip up your vegetable garden, break into your house, terrorize your pets. It's time they are culled and the remaining chased back to the mountain. They are not scared of humans any more and challenge you in your house. They break into your car and destroy the interior. They break the gutters off the roof. I broke my hip when the ladder I was standing on gave way when I was trying to repair the gutters. Time for action!
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Because the baboons are not being monitored properly and are destroying things in my property. The monitored don’t seem to be properly trained either. The sliding gate was closed at the centre shop we walked in and closed it behind us. Monitor walked in and left it open. The longer we allow the baboons to raid our houses/properties the angrier we get and someone is going to do something they may regret. Let’s keep residents and baboons safe please.