A mother’s worst nightmare

This is how Josephine Petrus described the events that led to a baboon attacking her five-month-old baby, Peya David.

Little Peya died yesterday due to internal bleeding, according to a medical report.

When The Namibian visited Petrus’ family shack yesterday, she was inconsolable.

With tears running down her face, she recounted how her baby was killed by a baboon at one of Windhoek’s informal settlements last week.

The baboon attack occurred on Wednesday, after which baby Peya was rushed to the Katutura Intermediate Hospital, where she died.

According to Petrus, because of the unbearable heat in her shack, she often lays the baby down in the sitting room while she goes about her daily chores. However on Wednesday, Petrus says she was unable to withstand the heat, something she regrets today. She let the baby nap outside while she went to cook, only to see her child in the baboon’s hands later.

Speaking to The Namibian, an emotional Petrus said she was unable to say much as she was still in extreme shock.

Her sister Salimi Petrus related that this was not the first time a baboon attacked their home.

The first time it happened was on 23 September 2022 while she was at work.

“I got a call that my 11-month-old baby (Natalia Petrus) was attacked by a baboon, for a moment while rushing home I was in denial,” she said.

Salimi said her baby was fast asleep when she was attacked by a baboon.

“Normally, when the babies sleep we lay them down in the sitting area because they cry from the heat when in the room,” she said.

Salimi rushed home from work to find her daughter with blood on her face and in a lot of pain.

“My sister was home with the babies, so because we thought being home was the safest place, we didn’t think that an incident of this kind would happen.”

She said they now feel very unsafe because they do not know when the baboon will return.

According to a neighbour and eyewitness, Sitka Namwenyo, she was in her house when she heard Petrus screaming in the riverbed.

“When I ran there I found the baboon dropping the baby, we were all in shock while witnessing this,” she said.

The baby was in a horrible state and struggling to breath when they rushed her to the hospital, said Namwenyo.

According to Peya’s father, Heita David, the government must intervene to prevent this from happening again.

“Something has to be done because we would have been arrested if we had killed that baboon,” he said.

Peya was grabbed by the stomach, said her father, and as a result her intestines were injured and she suffered from internal bleeding.

David is pleading for any good Samaritans to help the family financially or with food during the funeral.

“I don’t know what the government should do to ensure that baboon attacks do not recur but something has to be done as soon as possible,” he says.

According to the Khomas regional spokesperson for the Namibian Police warrant officer, Silas Shipandeni, the family has not reported the matter to the police. “I spoke to the family and advised them to open a police case,” Shipandeni said.

When The Namibian contacted the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said he was unaware of the incident.

Muyunda said they are currently looking to contact the family so that they can launch an investigation to determine how to assist.

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