Traditional methods of scaring away baboons no lon...

Traditional methods of scaring away baboons no longer effective, says Zimparks

Bridget Mabanda

Traditional methods of stopping baboons from raiding people’s fields and homes in Hwange and Binga districts have become ineffective as they are pushed from their habitat by climate change-induced droughts, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has said.

In Victoria Falls, Binga and Hwange, baboons have destroyed properties for a number of residents.

They usually break into houses through windows and rooftops while searching for food.

Baboons have been causing havoc in Victoria Falls after developing a habit of ambushing people and snatching food from them.

They now enter houses and shops to steal food.

In 2021, a baboon entered an OK Supermarkets outlet in Victoria Falls and stole a packet of chips.

Zimparks has since embarked on an exercise to capture the baboons, but its Matabeleland North regional manager Samson Chibaya said it was proving to be a staggering task.