What to do if you encounter a baboon: Six safety tips

Ask AI 3minIt's important to keep your distance if you spot a baboon, secure food and belongings, and never feed them.

Image: Picture: Armand Hough/Independent Newspapers

If you have spent any time scrolling through TikTok, you might have come across videos of people fighting for their lives as they try to fend off baboons and monkeys attempting to get their hands on food, handbags and other belongings.

From baboons helping themselves to groceries to monkeys making off with people’s snacks, these encounters might be entertaining to watch online, but they can be frightening when you find yourself on the receiving end.

With a baboon troop recently spotted in and around the Coetzenburg, Stellenbosch area, the sighting serves as a reminder of the importance of knowing how to behave when encountering these wild animals.

While baboons are a familiar sight in parts of South Africa, particularly in areas close to natural habitats, they should never be treated like domesticated animals.

Knowing what to do, and more importantly, what not to do, can help prevent an encounter from escalating.

One of the most important rules when encountering baboons is to give them space.

Never approach, touch or attempt to feed them. Even if a baboon appears calm, it is still a wild animal and can react unpredictably.

If you come across a troop while walking or driving, remain calm, avoid blocking their path and slowly move away when it is safe.

It might be tempting to offer a baboon something to eat, particularly if it approaches you, but feeding wildlife can encourage animals to associate humans with food.

Avoid carrying food openly or eating in close proximity to baboons. Keep snacks securely packed away and dispose of rubbish in designated bins.

Those viral TikTok videos of baboons rummaging through handbags and helping themselves to people’s groceries are a reminder to keep personal belongings secure.

Keep bags closed and do not leave food packets, shopping bags or other items unattended.

If a baboon approaches, avoid provoking it or putting yourself at risk by attempting to retrieve an item.

Your natural reaction might be to scream, run or try to scare a baboon away, but sudden movements and aggressive behaviour can make an already uncomfortable encounter worse.

Avoid shouting, teasing, throwing objects at them or attempting to chase them away.

Remain calm and give the animals an opportunity to move on.

Social media has made wildlife encounters popular photo opportunities, but getting close to a baboon for a photograph is not worth risking your safety.

Admire the animals from a distance and avoid approaching them or attempting to capture their attention for a video.

Young children should be kept close to adults and taught never to approach, touch or feed baboons.

Pet owners should also take precautions by keeping dogs on a leash and maintaining a safe distance from any troop.

“Dogs can trigger or escalate an encounter, so keep them leashed and well away.

The recent Coetzenburg sighting is a reminder that people and wildlife sometimes share the same spaces.

Whether you encounter a baboon while hiking, walking through your neighbourhood or enjoying an outdoor meal, the golden rule is to respect its space.

And while those TikTok videos might have you laughing at someone losing their lunch to a cheeky baboon, you certainly do not want to become the next viral video.