Primate Problems

Its hard to visit a zoo without visiting the monkeys, and their close relatives. It's an absolute favourite of my children's, and I secretly love going there myself. They display amazing intelligence for animals, as well as a playful nature, which in turn makes them close to impossible not to love. However, one certain species of the primate world have given themselves a bad reputation in some countries for becoming aggressive and even attacking people.

More and more cases are being documented where baboons are attacking other animals and people, especially young children. Countries such as Saudi Arabia have reported a significant rise in the number of attacks occurring out in open country areas. Only back in August this year was a two year old child killed after she was snatched by a baboon out of her fathers arms. Her body was found some time later wedged between rocks up in a mountainous area. Farming communities are claiming that thousands of baboons are running wild in the area attacking people and their dwellings probably just on the hunt for food. People are beginning to get scared, and rightly so.

Likewise baboons in Africa have increasingly begun to attack people, domestic animals and houses. The main victims once again seem to be young children who are the perfect size for a baboon to grab and to later kill. Parents of little children have reported seeing the baboons lift and throw their children into the air, which is not likely a game, but rather a way in which to injure the victim. It's interesting to note that people have been living amongst these animals in the wild for many, many years, yet we are suddenly seeing a steady increase in attacks. Is it because the baboons are losing their food sources, and are looking further afield to get their fill? Is it a case of rapidly expanding baboon population numbers, and therefore they are moving in on human territory? Or can the attacks be contributed to a group of rough animals that are going out on the rampage looking for trouble? My best guess would be the first suggestion.

With problems getting worse, it seems that not too many people in authority know what the answer is to the baboon crisis. However, some like minded business men in South Africa have come up with a solution that they see as helping to curb the problem. They have begun planning an abattoir to process the meat of the baboon and export it to other countries. This idea has of course been met by criticism as well as support. Criticism coming from conservationist who feel that primates such as the baboon are so closely related to humans that eating their meat would be outrageous. On the other hand the farmers of South Africa are tending to support this new venture, eager to stop the baboons poaching their livestock, and sometimes coming in for the kill on their young families as well.

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