Two baboon crashed through the roof of a Constantia home, leaving two children and their child minder traumatised after they hid from the animals under a table for an hour-and-a-half.
And a witness has reported "ongoing carnage" in the Constantia area where two big troops have been for the past week or so, and where at least three of the baboons have been knocked down by cars and injured, one fatally.
Linda Lurie, the graphic designer whose house the baboons fell into, said a baboon troop of about 50 to 60 strong had been in a field alongside her home for a few days before that. Her house adjoins the Groot Constantia vineyards.
Continues Below ↓
Then, on Monday afternoon, she took her son to a rugby match at Reddam House school, leaving her two youngsters Joel, 4, and Hannah, 6, in the care of their child minder.
"The baboons were using our house as a bit of a jungle gym," she explained. "Some of the animals had been jumping up and down on a section of Perspex roof when it broke, sending two of the baboons crashing through and into a bath.
"The nanny, who is terrified of baboons, heard this big bang. She ran and grabbed the kids and then they hid under the table," Lurie said.
While the baboons inside made the most of their opportunity by raiding the kitchen for food, the animals outside had found a large bin which also contained edible items.
"The baboons were very excited to find food and it became one big picnic area," said Lurie.
"Half of them were lying around sunning themselves, the other half were eating all the food; it was a full-blown party."
Fortunately for the small group trapped under the table, the phone rang. The child minder crept out to answer it and asked the caller to contact her employer.
On her arrival Lurie found award-winning filmmaker Trevor de Kock, who is shooting footage for a film about the Peninsula's baboons, and a volunteer baboon monitor at the scene, although they weren't aware of the drama inside the house. De Kock then escorted Lurie inside.
"He was very helpful; his assistance was wonderful. If he hadn't been here, I probably would have had a heart attack.
"There was a 'team' (of baboons) at each entrance, doing their thing, and I just wanted to get my kids out," she said.
"He showed me that you just go in, greet the baboons and then walk through as though nothing is wrong."
Lurie said she had carried the children out, and then helped the terrified child minder out too.
"She didn't even want to come to work today."
Her husband had worked until close to midnight to repair the damaged roof, she added.
De Kock, who lives in Nova Constantia, said on Tuesday that two of the four Tokai troops numbering about 45 and 60 animals respectively, had been "running amok" in different parts of Constantia.
"I've never seen them this close to my home before. And today (Tuesday) they've smashed a big cement water feature and damaged a house. They're acting like hooligans here in suburbia, and electric fences are no problem for them. And there's a bit of fighting going on which doesn't help matters."
Despite the efforts of the volunteer monitors, who had been working in terrible weather at times, there had been "carnage" on the roads, De Kock added.
"Guys just don't slow down. There's nothing sadder than seeing a critically injured baby baboon being picked up by its mother."
- This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Argus on June 10, 2009
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
