A local Board in Zimbabwe's mining town of Hwange has hired a professional hunter to track down and kill baboons for reportedly causing havoc in residential suburbs, the board’s technical committee chairman, Councillor Andrew Mupande, has said.
In an interview with our correspondent in Hwange, south-west Zimbabwe, he said following complaints from residents that baboons were now a menace, as they break into houses to steal food, the board approached the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to deal with the problem.
“We spoke to national parks and they said we should look for a hunter. We looked for a licensed hunter,” he said.
However, since the hunter started tracking them down, no baboon has been killed and Mr Mupande said this could be due to their survival instincts. “The problem is he can't locate them. None has been shot so far,” he said.
Residents said last year there was no problem with baboons, as most households did not have food.
However, with the improving economy and the ready availability of food, troops of baboons have descended in the Hwange Local Board’s residential suburbs of Baobab, Empumalanga and Chibondo scavenging for food.
“The baboons are coming into houses, breaking windows and stealing food,” he said.
Clr Mupande said the animals had no respect for women and children from whom they sometimes snatch food. "They look down on women and children. Sometimes they snatch food from them,” he said.
During a drive in Empumalanga, our correspondent witnessed baboons jumping over brick and precast walls into houses.
According to notices in the town, residents were advised not to panic should they hear sounds of gunfire, as a hunter would be hunting down baboons. Hwange town is surrounded by a national park teeming with wildlife.
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Department of wildlife has to look into the matter holistically and perhaps relocate excess animals to other areas in order to off-set the problem. Killing the baboons is survival of the fittest tactic which does not suit humankind, otherwise we would be no better than baboons.