OK, all joking aside, the relationship between humans and baboons is love-hate. The chacma baboons are a protected species, and I do believe it's important to protect them. However, I can understand the frustrations some people may have, especially when you're dealing with animals that are smart enough to be able to open your door, go to your fridge, eat all your food, drink all your beer, and fling poo everywhere...
But who's fault is that? How do the baboons know to go to people and their homes in the first place, while other mammals shy away? For starters, you have dumbass tourists, South African and foreign, who deliberately feed the baboons, despite all the signs that are up and all the pamphlets given out saying not to. I mean, can you put it an a more blunt manner?
So you have these idiots teaching intelligent animals people = free food. And of course you have people who are generally careless, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and leave food where the baboons can get "easy" access. Anything from setting up a picnic to careless disposal of trash. The baboons quickly learn that where there's people, there's good stuff to eat, and well... the trouble begins. They go after human food instead of foraging for grubs like good baboons should...
The baboons themselves are kind of cute, especially the little ones, and they're interesting to watch. They seem to like to watch people just as much as we like to watch them. Like ostriches, they also have no regard for the rules of the road, so you have to watch out for them when you're out driving in places like Cape Point...
Some extra links for you:
No comments:
Post a Comment