When you buy an existing house in Betty’s Bay, you don’t know if the previous owners practiced proper waste management or if they fed birds, and ultimately baboons, in so doing attracting the troop to the property. If so, you will have to deal with baboon-proofing and securing your waste once you move in.
BUT if you are building from scratch, you can manage this properly from the start. Every building site must have a skip or a cornered-off area where ONLY building rubble is stored. This should be covered with an attached tarp or shade cloth to prevent the wind blowing cement sacks and plastic around in the area. NO food or rubbish bags of any kind must ever be mixed with this building rubble. The tarp must be secured well enough after work hours so that others can’t dump their rubbish bags in your skip.
Photo credit: Renee Bish
All households must have a baboon-proof bin, so it is best to get one when you start your build for all the contractors to use for their left-over food and personal rubbish. The foreman must be in charge of making sure that each time a new team begins work they understand the importance of managing their waste. The workers must also have a secure lock-up box or locked vehicle on hand where their personal bags/backpacks are stored during the day as the baboons have learnt that backpacks usually have food inside them. The workers must NEVER feed a baboon or leave left-over food out for any animals.
Living in this area is a lifestyle choice and baboons are part of our environment. They won’t be a problem if you take responsible measures from the start.
Contact Reneé for literature to help you with baboon-proofing and options for waste management at 0606567341.