We are lucky to live on the Urban Edge with baboon neighbours, it just takes a little preparation and understanding to live side by side peacefully. Baboons can cause expensive damage to your home (TV aerials make great swings!), but you can minimize costly repairs by ensuring you are not attracting baboons onto your property by unwittingly supplying them with easy food rewards.

TIPS FOR YOUR GARDENS

• Fruiting trees, vines, vegetable patches and herb gardens (and even fish ponds and water features) offer rich rewards to baboons and attract them to residential areas.
• Nothing is more infuriating than your lovingly tended veggie patch being destroyed by baboons in a matter of minutes!  Baboon-proof your vegetable garden – there are various options for this such as wire or mesh that will let the sunshine in but not baboons.
• Use contained composting bins, rather than an open compost heap,
• If possible, plant indigenous plants that offer no fruits or seeds that baboons will eat. 
• Try to keep your garden fairly open and minimise dense thickets of plants which will provide cover for the baboons and places for them to hide.