After several days of dramatic sightings, escapes, and rescue operations, the Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW), together with the Durban and Coast SPCA and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, successfully captured two juvenile baboons that had been roaming parts of Durban since Monday, 22 September.
The search, which spanned warehouses, rooftops, roads, railway lines, and even Wilson’s Wharf, finally came to an end on Thursday, 25 September, when the second baboon was trapped in Malvern.
The saga began when reports surfaced of two baboons moving through the city, raising safety concerns for both residents and the animals. The first breakthrough came on Wednesday, 24 September, when a juvenile was caught in a warehouse, only to escape overnight. After an all-day chase across multiple properties, the animal, identified as a juvenile female, was secured late that afternoon and transported to CROW’s primate enclosures.
The second baboon, however, remained elusive until Thursday morning, 25 September, when CROW received a video of the animal sitting on the roof of a storage facility garage in Malvern. By the time teams arrived, it had followed a local troop of vervet monkeys to a nearby residential complex. CROW’s clinic nurse and “primate mom” Liz led the capture effort, setting a trap and carefully keeping the vervets away until the baboon was drawn in by food. The door dropped, and the animal was secured.
To the team’s surprise, the second baboon turned out to be a juvenile male, about the same age as the female caught the day before. Both baboons were transported to a veterinarian, where blood samples were taken for DNA testing to trace their province of origin. They have since been moved to CROW’s state-of-the-art primate facilities, where they will remain until export permits are granted. They will then be transferred to a specialised baboon rehabilitation centre, integrated into a troop, and eventually released back into the wild.
CROW operations director Clint Halkett-Siddall confirmed that both animals are safe, bringing an end to the high-profile search. “We believe that all the baboons have now been caught and Durban residents can let their guard down. Both baboons are safe and secure,” he said.
Halkett-Siddall also expressed gratitude to Monkey Helpline for reporting sightings, to the supportive warehouse teams involved, and to members of the public who assisted. He urged residents not to attempt to capture or harm wild animals themselves, warning that such actions could lead to prosecution.
“The wellbeing of these baboons and the safety of our community remain our top priorities,” he added.
