Cape Town - Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation has decried the letting go of rangers from baboon-affected areas in the new year.
This comes after the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team, which consists of representatives from SANParks, CapeNature and the City of Cape Town, said it held discussions over the Cape Peninsula Baboon Strategic Management Plan with communities in June, amid financial constraints.
Their job was to report back to communities regarding a transitioning period when the rangers’ contracts come to an end, which will start on December 31.
The task team indicated that solutions were examined and supply-chain procedures started. Since the existing urban baboon programme is coming to an end at the end of November, a temporary solution will also address the December period.
An estimated 400 people, 82 employees and their dependants face losing an income, according to Lynda Silk, chairperson of the Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation (CPCC).
“CPCC is horrified to see the City cutting jobs rather than creating jobs, in a time where there is already intense economic hardship for so many,” Silk said, adding that some of the baboon management ground staff had more than a decade of experience.
In recent years, the City has hired NCC Environmental Services to oversee the Urban Baboon Programme.
This includes assigning baboon rangers to enforce troop separation from urban areas and to maintain the animals as close to their natural habitat as feasible.
In a statement, NCC thanked the staff for their dedication and said it would try to provide employment for as many as possible elsewhere.
Cape Argus