Cape Town baboon who mugged tourists to be killed

Fred, a Cape Town baboon who gained infamy for opening closed car doors and robbing tourists of their bags and food, is to be captured and euthanised. The City of Cape Town said on Friday that The Baboon Operational Group (OPS team), responsible for managing baboons on the Peninsula, had to make the "difficult decision" to euthanise Fred, a former troop leader in the Smitswinkel Bay area outside Simons Town. "This baboon, the former leader of the Smitswinkel troop, is infamous for opening car doors and climbing into cars with people," the city said.

"He targets cars with bags and visible food, but it is his ability to open closed car doors that surprised everyone passing along this scenic route to Cape Point. The Cape Nature Wildlife Advisory Committee has agreed with this decision and given permission that the baboon be euthanised. Authorities will spend the coming days trying to capture Fred. The city said the decision to euthanise Fred was not taken lightly and "not without extensive discussions between all role players involved". Fred's aggression levels had escalated recently, to the point where the safety of tourists, motorists and other travellers along the road past Smitswinkel Bay was being threatened.



In 2010 he physically attacked and injured three people, two of whom required medical attention. Attempts to use monitors to thwart his raids were only initially successful, but over the previous summer he had resorted to attacking monitors who tried to prevent him from jumping into parked cars. The city blamed Fred's "demise" mainly on the continuous "misguided efforts" by humans to befriend and feed baboons. "Because people want to love, laugh at and be entertained by baboons, they start a cycle of events that can lead to tragedy, as in the case of this baboon.

"Through feeding baboons or approaching them to take photographs or generally wishing to get closer to a wild animal, the downward slide starts. Once an animal became used to the high reward of human food that was rich in carbohydrates, it was reluctant to leave that behind and return to its natural diet. "This baboon became increasingly intent on obtaining his reward and all efforts to thwart him only increased his determination to get to it." A number of incidents in which children secured in car seats were stuck in cars with the baboon while parents attempted to get him out had severely traumatised both parents and children.