Windhoek residents fear baboon attacks as ministry and Naankuse seek solutions

They took my macaroni last week – resident

Windhoek residents in the Goreangab informal settlement have complained about ongoing attacks from baboons raiding their shacks and stealing food – prompting the government to consider culling some of the troublesome intruders.

“They took my macaroni and flour last week,” says Goreangab resident Kaumbo kaNangula.

“I found them in my house and could not chase them out because they would have killed me.”

The troop of baboons normally raids homes in the morning daily, between 06h00 and 11h00.

kaNangula is calling on the ministry to deploy armed security guards to monitor the baboons, saying residents are too afraid to intervene themselves.

Residents claim they have been sent from pillar to post, including to the City of Windhoek and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, without a resolution.

Environment ministry spokesperson Vilho Angula says the challenge of baboons in the area comes a long way. But he says the authorities will deploy a team to scare them away.

Angula adds that controlling the animals is a challenge because the area is densely populated. Some measures put in place by the ministry, such as erecting a fence between the location and the park where baboons originate, are vandalised and stolen by the people they seek to protect.

“The team will scare away the baboons and those that don’t respond will be captured and dropped off far from the community, in places like the Naukluft mountains.

We encourage residents in that area to manage their waste properly, to avoid attracting baboons to their houses,” he says.

He adds that the ministry plans to engage stakeholders such as the municipality this week to find sustainable solutions.

A senior source in the ministry says the only option is to shoot the baboobs. “We have done that before. We did at Kleine Kuppe, Avis and Klein Windhoek,” the official says.

The source, however, says it is not known how many baboons there are in the area, as they are not restricted to any particular location and are difficult to count.

FORECEFUL ENTRY

On a typical day at Goreangab Dam in Windhoek’s Samora Machel, residents keep their doors locked to prevent baboons from entering their homes.

For residents like Josefina Nakwatumba, baboons are no longer distant wildlife, but uninvited intruders that force families to be constantly on the alert.

As well as stealing food, they pour water that residents have fetched from a distance and defecate on beds.

Fearful children going to school no longer walk alone, in the hope that they will be protected when baboons descend from nearby hills. Parents often accompany children when they leave home.

“These baboons destroy locks to enter our homes. They even slap our children when they carry food in the streets,” Nakwatumba says.

Residents say the problem has worsened, with baboons appearing in numbers as early as 06h00.

Paulus Jonas who has been living in the area for five years and whose child was attacked three years ago says the baboons have become violent, killing and eating small animals like dogs.

Residents scare them away by beating drums or the tin walls of their shacks, as chasing them runs the risk of a fight.

Linda Hange says the baboons also destroy their plants. When they try to chase them away, some baboons do not move, with the apparent intention of fighting back.

The animals reportedly killed a five-month-old baby in 2022 and injured another child, who was hospitalised.

Samora Machel constituency councillor Lydia Kanime says she cannot comment as the residents have not informed her of the problem, while Windhoek municipality spokesperson Lydia Hamutenya says the municipality only assists the ministry in handling animals.

City police spokesperson Marcelline Murapo says the police only step in if there are too many baboons and the ministry cannot deal with them.

“The police only accompany the team from the ministry if they need our help. If there are a lot of baboons, we go out to chase them,” she says.

ECOSYSTEM

While residents are grappling with the violence from baboons, N/a’an ku sê Foundation’s Tanja Baetcke-Vilho explains that they play a far more important role in the ecosystem than many realise.

She says baboons are natural gardeners of the wild, responsible for spreading tree seeds and vegetation as they move around.

“When baboons are able to move around, they ensure the genetics are diverse and nicely distributed in the ecosystem. Animals like antelopes cannot spread seeds, as there are fences that limit their movement,” she says.

She urges affected communities to reach out to the foundation for support.

The Elisenheim Lifestyle Village Estate has urged residents to stand still and be calm when confronted by baboons, saying sudden movement could make them act defensively.

Residents are also urged to back away and not try to block the animals’ escape route, as well as keeping pets out of the way.

The estate urges residents to report the appearance of baboons in the urban edge to management.

“Keep doors locked. Do not have food on display and don’t leave pet food outside. Don’t plant fruit trees or vegetable gardens unless they are situated inside a locked caged area or surrounded by electric fencing,” it says.

Baboons in neighbourhood: safety advice

• • Warn your neighbours when baboons are in the vicinity.
• • Keep doors locked and windows closed when baboons are in the vicinity.
• • Install burglar bars on windows you usually keep open.
• • Do not leave food on display for baboons to see.
• • Do not leave pet food outside or feed pets outside.
• • Do not put seed out for wild birds.
• • Do not plant fruit trees, vegetable gardens or make compost heaps unless they are situated inside a locked caged area.
• • Plant indigenous trees as baboons love exotic plants.
• • Never feed baboons.
• • If confronted by a baboon, stay calm and don’t run, sudden movements will make it act defensively.
• Back away slowly and do not block its escape route. Keep pets out of the way.
• • Do not snatch back anything from a baboon – it will fight to hold on to it.
• • Do not threaten infants and juveniles as adults, particularly the alpha male, will protect them with aggression if necessary.

– Information by Elisenheim Owners Association

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