Saving South African Primates

1. Primates are persecuted in South Africa
2. Protective legislation is required to protect all species.
3. Harmonious co-existence between humans and non human primates is necessary to halt the damage done.

Environment - Conservation and Environmental Education

A warm welcome!

The truth about our primates in South Africa remains largely hidden due to misconceptions that are perpetuated by legislation and common outdated notions. As a result of our troops not being monitored while being severely persecuted, the damage caused has yet to be fully revealed. And that is what this project is about - to monitor wild troops, and counteract the various destructive processes presently in place that separate us from our primate relations and our interconnectedness (symbiotic relationship) with the wilderness in South Africa.


Firstly, thankyou for your interest in this important primate project. I hope the following will sufficiently inspire you to become a part of the solution.

BACKGROUND:

As a naturalist focussing on the plight of the Chacma Baboon and Vervet Monkey in the Western Cape, South Africa, I have strong reason to believe that there is an urgent need to halt the ongoing damage done to our primate populations. I have been observing the troops in this area for the last six years.



Development continues to encroach onto wild habitats; people choosing to live in semi-natural environments – farms, smallholdings, seaside villages etc. increasingly need to find environmentally friendly ways of co-existing with wild animals and flora in order to preserve and rehabilitate the natural bio-diversity.



It is common to assume that primate numbers are not threatened. Age-old myths serve to justify the persecution of these animals by certain sectors of society (the farming and hunting communities for example), and sightings of baboons and monkeys are generally not considered rare.

As a result, it is widely assumed that primates are not threatened. This is an important misconception.


In spite of many primates living in low predator areas, they get shot, poisoned, electrocuted, killed by dogs, caught in snares and trapped for research laboratories and muthi. "PROTECTED" STATUS OF PRIMATES IN S.A.

The Vervet Monkey and Chacma Baboon fall under appendix two of CITES (Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species) as species considered to be at risk of extinction if populations are not monitored. However, in spite of this "protected" status, a piece of legislation called The Hunting Proclamation allows them to be hunted, trapped, caught in traps etc. all year round in unlimited numbers in rural areas in the western cape. This piece of legislation allows the killing of these animals using extremely cruel methods. Traps, poison, shooting at night (when primates are sleeping in trees), dog packs etc.

Residents with primate “problems” regularly call to find information about non-violent co-existence methods but the amount of people who continue to shoot without challenge continues to pose a real threat to our primate populations. If this trend continues, it will certainly - slowly but progressively - eradicate these species.



The programme proposal has been created to confront the human and monkey/baboon conflict and through awareness hopes to halt this environmentally destructive process.

The monkey and baboon being two species who most often come into close contact with human habitats will provide an example about all so called “problem” animals.