Baboon Matters - Advocacy

Advocacy for Animal Rights

An essential part of the work undertaken by Baboon Matters is to explore the legal aspects of the rules and regulations currently being employed to make decisions on baboon management.

One of the trustees, Wynter Worsthorne, flew to Johannesburg last year so that she could participate in a workshop hosted by Animal Rights Africa. The workshop focussed on examining the current legislation with a view to seeing how the intrinsic rights of animals can be better enforced.

We have taken the information obtained at the workshop and utilised it to effect so that we could challenge aspects of the new Dispersing Male Protocol, implemented by Cape Nature through the Baboon Management. Through our efforts and public support, this Protocol is under review, but has not as yet been changed. An electronic petition was launched by Baboon Matters at the time, which currently has over 900 signatures of support. We are delighted to have a well known lawyer as a Trustee as well as the support of a specialist lawyer who is prepared to take up the legal argument to prevent unnecessary euthanasia of our young dispersing males. This issue is still ongoing, although, to our knowledge, no dispersing males have as yet been euthanized under the new protocol. If you would like to pledge your support to this issue, please view and sign the petition, at "http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-the-culling-of-cape-towns-baboons.html

We are also fighting for harsher prosecution laws against perpetrators of heinous cruelty to wildlife as in the recent case of a Wilderness resident trapping and shooting a male baboon 20 times causing incredible pain and suffering to the animal.

We are calling on all concerned citizens to appeal in writing to Cape Nature and SA National Parks to:

    1.Have stricter laws protecting wildlife from cruelty.
    2.Prosecute this case with the harshest possible sentence.
    3.Support the SPCA in helping to prosecute all cases
.     of cruelty.
    4.Immediately implement non-lethal management strategies
       such as Baboon Monitors, effective waste management and
       raising of education and awareness in all conflict areas.
    5.Protect South Africa’s baboons from being hunted.

Please send your letters to:

Baboon Matters Trust
3 Cruiser Close
Sunvalley
Cape Town
South Africa, 7975.

We will ensure they are delivered to the relevant parties.
Another electronic petition has been set up around this: http://www.gopetition.com/online/35097.html

In addition to this, Jenni Trethowan has been liaising closely with the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), EWT (Endangered Wildlife Trust), WESSA (Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa), SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), as we collaborate to find legal means to stop the unjust treatment of baboons.
.
Baboon Matters Trust is working closely with some of the animal rights movements towards the goal of setting up a workshop. The aim of the workshop will be to explore the legal and sentient rights of baboons and other so called ‘problem animals’ and find ways to work collaboratively together on certain issues.


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			Advocacy for Animal Rights An essential part of the work undertaken by Baboon Matters is to explore the legal aspects of the rules and regulations currently being employed to make decisions on baboon management. One of the trustees, Wynter Worsthorne, flew to Johannesburg last year so that she could participate in a workshop hosted by Animal Rights Africa. The workshop focussed on examining the current legislation with a view to seeing how the intrinsic rights of animals can be better enforced. We have taken the information obtained at the workshop and utilised it to effect so that we could challenge aspects of the new Dispersing Male Protocol, implemented by Cape Nature through the Baboon Management. Through our efforts and public support, this Protocol is under review, but has not as yet been changed. An electronic petition was launched by Baboon Matters at the time, which currently has over 900 signatures of support. We are delighted to have a well known lawyer as a Trustee as well as the support of a specialist lawyer who is prepared to take up the legal argument to prevent unnecessary euthanasia of our young dispersing males. This issue is still ongoing, although, to our knowledge, no dispersing males have as yet been euthanized under the new protocol. If you would like to pledge your support to this issue, please view and sign the petition, at "http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-the-culling-of-cape-towns-baboons.html We are also fighting for harsher prosecution laws against perpetrators of heinous cruelty to wildlife as in the recent case of a Wilderness resident trapping and shooting a male baboon 20 times causing incredible pain and suffering to the animal. We are calling on all concerned citizens to appeal in writing to Cape Nature and SA National Parks to: 1.Have stricter laws protecting wildlife from cruelty. 2.Prosecute this case with the harshest possible sentence. 3.Support the SPCA in helping to prosecute all cases . of cruelty. 4.Immediately implement non-lethal management strategies such as Baboon Monitors, effective waste management and raising of education and awareness in all conflict areas. 5.Protect South Africa’s baboons from being hunted. Please send your letters to: Baboon Matters Trust 3 Cruiser Close Sunvalley Cape Town South Africa, 7975. We will ensure they are delivered to the relevant parties. Another electronic petition has been set up around this: http://www.gopetition.com/online/35097.html In addition to this, Jenni Trethowan has been liaising closely with the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), EWT (Endangered Wildlife Trust), WESSA (Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa), SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), as we collaborate to find legal means to stop the unjust treatment of baboons. . Baboon Matters Trust is working closely with some of the animal rights movements towards the goal of setting up a workshop. The aim of the workshop will be to explore the legal and sentient rights of baboons and other so called ‘problem animals’ and find ways to work collaboratively together on certain issues.

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