I never thought I would see the day where baboons were happily exploring my garden. Only once when I was young did I ever see a lone baboon, lost and confused in my backyard. When my old dog approached him and got into a bark off. Let us jump in!
At First The Confusion
I was working from home yesterday, relaxing in the Autumn breeze, when my dog started barking ferociously. I noticed two people standing at my gate with binoculars in their hands, staring up at the trees.
The Two Strangers
They turned out to be two baboon monitors, following a small break-away family of baboons that had ventured into the residential area below the mountains. There were three adults and the smallest adorable baby.
Play Time
Happy to be off the roads, they leisurely strolled around the grass and climbed around to find a great shady spot on top of our trailer garage. The baby took a particular interest in our paddle ski and loved hopping around the fin. At one point it looked like the baby was trying to eat it!
Why They Left The Mountains
Recently over our Summer in Cape Town, there have been quite a few mountain fires. This often removes a lot of food sources and shelter for the baboons. Especially, while having a newborn, this added pressure most likely drove this family into the residential area.
What To Do
If you know baboons are in the area, make sure all pets are locked inside – dogs especially! Dogs can be territorial and want to protect their home and fellow humans from the intruders. Also make sure there are no open bins or food sources to encourage the baboons to stick around or come back. This disrupts their natural diet and behaviour. Alert your local animal conservation group and neighbours so they can be aware of the situation.
Wrapping Up with Baboons In My Garden
What an incredibly adorable sight! It does make me sad knowing they aren’t in the mountains, playing in the trees where they would be much happier, away from the cars and human danger. However, I feel very blessed that the baboons felt so at home in my garden. With one of the adults even taking a nap in the shade. My dog luckily was quite unphased by their presence. Let me know if yo have experienced anything similar in the comments below!
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