“It’s Their Territory”: Baboon Warning Issued to Pringle Bay Businesses Over Easy Access to Food
- Kogelberg Villages Environmental Trustees issued a public warning after baboons were spotted entering a fruit shop in Pringle Bay
- KVET pointed out that most Pringle Bay businesses have already baboon-proofed their premises, but a small number have not
- The organisation warned that easy access to food will keep baboons returning to the village, raising safety concerns for shoppers
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Source: UGC
A wildlife organisation in the Western Cape is calling on Pringle Bay business owners to act after baboons were spotted walking into a local fruit shop and helping themselves to food.
Kogelberg Villages Environmental Trustees (KVET) shared a public awareness post on Facebook on 7 September 2026, urging the remaining businesses in Pringle Bay that have not yet baboon-proofed their premises to do so immediately.
The organisation also addressed a common misconception. According to KVET, the baboon population in Pringle Bay has not grown. The same small troop has always moved through the village. What has changed is visibility, as reduced natural foliage means the animals are spotted more often than they used to be.
Clever animals, easy targets
KVET described baboons as highly intelligent and opportunistic. Once they discover that food is freely available inside a shop, they will stop foraging and simply return to the same spot repeatedly. This creates an ongoing problem for businesses, customers and the animals themselves.
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The organisation also flagged a less obvious issue: some businesses are placing food scraps outside or leaving out bird seed, which baboons eat just as readily. KVET said this behaviour undermines the efforts of the majority of business owners who have already taken the necessary steps to secure their premises.
“People are naturally scared of baboons,” the post noted, warning that a face-to-face encounter inside a shop could lead to an unfortunate incident.
KVET urged all remaining holdouts to act before something goes wrong, calling the failure to baboon-proof premises unfair both to the broader community and to the animals.
Read the full warning on Facebook below:
Mzansi reacts to the warning
The post sparked strong opinions from people in the Pringle Bay community:
@Esther Aletta Geyer said:
“It happens because people are interfering with nature and think it is funny.”
@Gertjie Taylor wrote:
“We entered their territory. Not vice versa.”
@Amanda Regenass suggested:
“Why do you not create feeding stations for them? They are so clever and will soon learn to visit them.”
@Jolene Van Schalkwyk commented:
“But then there still are people saying they are not pests.”
3 more baboon chaos moments
- A domestic worker found herself in a wild standoff with a huge baboon that casually broke into a home, and she chased it out.
- A troop of baboons in Cape Town stole a woman’s KFC meal after one opened her car door and snatched the package.
- A woman walked into complete chaos after baboons decided to turn her home into their playground.
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Source: Briefly News
