Cape Town's authorities have announced plans to round up two groups of chacma baboons that have been repeatedly entering residential properties and commercial premises, saying the operation will take place "imminently." The council said the animals will be sterilised and permanently moved to a newly built sanctuary.
The proposal has deepened a long-running local debate between residents affected by the incursions and animal rights campaigners who oppose removing the monkeys from their natural ranges. Some homeowners complain of property damage and fouling — "it's hard to sell a house when it's covered in baboon faeces," residents say — while activists counter that coexistence measures should be prioritised over capture and confinement.
City officials point to what they describe as a worsening situation. A 2025 census found Cape Town's chacma baboon population grew by about a third since 2000, rising from 360 to 493 animals now organised into 12 managed troops. Authorities say two of those troops have increasingly broken into homes and shops, prompting the decision to intervene.
Animal welfare groups have criticised the plan, arguing that less disruptive options have not been adequately considered and that long-term solutions should focus on coexistence and management rather than removal. The council has framed the move as both a public safety and wildlife-management measure, combining sterilisation with relocation to a purpose-built sanctuary to prevent future population growth.
The controversy traces back to the late 1990s, when the city stopped culling baboon groups after public pressure. Since the early 2000s the issue has simmered and, according to local authorities, escalated in the past two years to a point where immediate action was required. The clash highlights the wider challenges faced by urban areas where expanding human settlements and protected wildlife populations increasingly overlap.
City officials and campaigners remain at odds over the best path forward, with residents pressing for relief from damaged property and safety concerns and activists urging more investment in non-lethal deterrents, education and habitat management. Whatever the outcome of the imminent operation, the dispute is expected to continue as Cape Town seeks to balance human livelihoods and the conservation of a locally prominent primate population.