Urban Baboon PRogramme
Background to the project
NCC Environmental Services has been appointed as the City of Cape Town’s service provider for the Urban Baboon Programme. The contract started on 1 October 2020 and will run until 30 June 2023, but have been extended to 31 December 2024.
NCC Environmental Services has many years of experience managing the human-baboon interface. Projects include the previous management the City of Cape Town’s Urban Baboon Programme from August 2009 until June 2012, as well as several years of preventing human-baboon interactions within the Table Mountain National Park during various events and functions.
The Chacma baboon on the Cape Peninsula
Baboons are one of the most widespread and successful among the primate genera, largely due to their adaptability, agility and intelligence. Consequently they are adept at exploiting anthropogenic food sources which results in unrivalled levels of contact with humans. The Cape chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) populations in the Cape Peninsula are no exception.
This baboon population has been exposed to cumulative levels of human-baboon conflict as human populations grow and urban sprawl further transforms and fragments suitable baboon habitat. This conflict is exacerbated by human settlement’s preference for low lying areas where the majority of fertile and nutritious foraging for baboons occurs. While group formation is a dynamic process, there are approximately 12 troops requiring management in the Peninsula. These troops border urban development and thus require active monitoring to prevent negative interactions between the baboons and Cape Town’s residents and visitors.
Project Area
Approximately 50 Urban Baboon Programme staff members operate in the field from sunrise to sunset every day in the following areas: Kommetjie, Ocean View, Capri, Da Gama Park, Welcome Glen, Glencairn, Groot Olifantsbos, Simon’s Town, Smitswinkel Bay, Murdoch Valley, Tokai, Zwaanswyk, Constantia, Plateau Road and Gordon’s Bay.
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The Team
NCC has put together a highly qualified and experienced team to manager the new contract.
- Project Manager: Dr. Joselyn Mormile, is a Conservation Biologist with a decade of baboon expertise. She completed an MSc in Primate Conservation, a BSc in Animal Behaviour and is a qualified veterinary nurse. Her experience with baboons is diverse, ranging from captive and veterinary care to extensive behavioural ecology research on both wild and urban-dwelling baboon populations throughout South Africa. She has also worked closely with communities, assessing resident attitudes towards baboons as well as providing education on how to live responsibly in baboon impacted areas.
- Project Leader: Linden Rhoda, is a director at NCC and previously led the Urban Baboon Programme for NCC Environmental Services. He has 15 years of experience on various large-scale conservation projects. His qualifications include an MBA, a postgraduate diploma in Leadership Development, a BTech in Environmental Management and a National Diploma in Nature Conservation.
- In addition to the highly qualified project leaders, all area and field managers on the project will have a minimum of a 3 year diploma in Nature Conservation or similar qualification. All staff will receive training on baboon behaviour, conflict resolution and the standard operating procedures for the management techniques to be used. NCC will have over 70 staff members working on this project which include: 44 Rangers, 22 Supervisors, 8 Field Managers, 4 Area Managers and 2 Project Managers.
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