Cape Town - The Cape of Good Hope SPCA has filed an application with Cape Nature for permission to capture and translocate beloved Kommetjie baboon Kataza to a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Limpopo.
This followed a meeting between the City and the Cape of Good Hope SPCA on Tuesday last week to discuss welfare concerns associated with Kataza (SK11), his lack of integration with his natal troop and continued raiding behaviours.
“The Cape of Good Hope SPCA confirmed at this meeting that should the situation not improve, they will submit an application to CapeNature, as the mandated authority in terms of the Nature Conservation Ordinance, for a permit to have SK11 translocated to a rehabilitation centre where he can be released back into the wild, once he has been rehabilitated,” said the City.
“SK11 has showed signs of trying to make his way to Tokai over the past few days, but unfortunately, he still has not reached the Tokai troop as we anticipated, nor has he integrated with his natal troop since his return to the Kommetjie area on November 12, 2020. As agreed with the Cape of Good Hope SPCA on January 5, an application for a permit to have SK11 translocated to a rehabilitation centre in the Limpopo Province will now proceed,” the City said.
Kataza, according to the City, has been moving between the Kommetjie, Ocean View, Da Gama Park and Capri areas for the past eight weeks.
Since November 12, there have been numerous accounts of the baboon entering occupied houses, raiding bins, and on one occasion he reportedly aggressively pursued a person for food.
Cape of Good Hope SPCA spokesperson, Belinda Abraham said they approached the City on October 21 with the proposal to capture Kataza and translocate him “in the best interests of the welfare of Kataza, other animals in the area and the public in general”.
“Should the permit be granted by Cape Nature, Kataza will be rehabilitated at the Riverside Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Kataza will be gradually introduced into a new troop and rehabilitated before being released into the wild,” she said.
CapeNature spokesperson Petro van Rhyn said on Tuesday that they had received the application and were in the process of reviewing it.
Luana Pasanisi of the Bring Kataza Back campaign said: “I hope he will find a rural home and that people will love him enough to give him a chance at a new life, instead of almost-certain death in the Cape.”