1 July, 2012
Following scientific recommendations
Pain aversion "tools" introduced
to remove baboons from the urban area
including
PAINTBALLS and PEPPERBALLS
Photo top left shows 150 paintballs found lying in the street after one shooting episode in January 2013.
Seen are some of the paintball guns that have been used by baboon rangers in the streets of the South Peninsula.
Paintballing was recommended by the head of BRU in February 2012 as the short term solution in baboon management, with electric fencing around baboon affected areas as the long term solution. Both are controversial.
Prior to the new service provider assuming duties in August, during July a BRU researcher was contracted to the City to oversee paintballing conducted by City employed paintballers.
While some public meetings had been held to promote the use of tools on baboons, residents received no prior warning that paintballing would begin on 1 July 2012.
Instead they saw distressed baboons and upset monitors, a number of whom were subsequently fired by the new service provider. (Photos above were taken prior to commencement of paintballing.)
Since July 2012, paintballing has been used in conjunction with previously effective humane shouts and whistles and a certain vocalisation, so from a scientific standpoint paintballing cannot claim to be effective.
After a year of paintballing and/or pepperballing, while capable of stressing baboons, in particular young baboons, and needlessly scattering them, it is increasingly failing to deter certain males who may run towards paintballers, with eyes closed and who are then nevertheless destroyed according to raiding protocols.
