Environment ministry shoots baboons at Goreangab after years of complaints

Environment ministry officials yesterday shot three baboons in Windhoek’s Goreangab area that have allegedly been terrorising residents for years.

The Namibian recently reported that the baboons have been raiding homes, stealing food and attacking residents, including children and domestic animals.

Residents like Kaumbo kaNangula say they have encountered baboons in their homes taking food such as macaroni and flour.

Earlier this week, residents called on the ministry to deploy armed security guards to monitor the baboons, saying they are too afraid to intervene themselves.

Ministry of Environment and Tourism chief control warden Penda Shimali, who led the operation, says they shot three baboons as part of the ministry’s effort to reduce human-wildlife conflict.

“Three troublesome baboons were shot today. We found them troubling children near Hillside Primary School. People had to lock themselves inside a house,” he says.

Shimali explains that the method involves identifying aggressive animals and culling them to deter others from entering residential areas.
“We identify a problematic baboon and take it out to scare the other ones,” he says.

Shimali reaffirms that the team will continue monitoring the area and will return if baboons keep causing problems to residents.

He urges residents not to feed animals or leave food where they can see it, as this attracts them to residential areas.

Residents have welcomed the intervention, saying the presence of the baboons makes their daily lives unsafe, especially for children.

The ministry earlier said that controlling baboons is difficult, as locations, such as Goreangab, are densely populated.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Vilho Angula, told The Namibian that a team will be deployed to scare the baboons away using scientific methods.

Resident Jonas Paulus has expressed gratitude to the ministry for attending to their request.

“We hope these baboons will not come near us from now on,” he says.

He adds that the area needs proper waste management facilities, as the waste is scattered across the area, attracting animals.

“From now on, we are going to practise safety measures by not throwing away food or dropping waste in the streets as urged by the ministry,” Paulus says.

“I will also ask my neighbours not to throw food away. I personally do not do it, but if there are people who do, I’ll ask them to stop.”

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