Synecdoche is an unusual word but capable of some heavy lifting. Applied to the baboons of the Cape Peninsula it's particularly appropriate. It means a part which represents a whole.
In arguments over raided kitchens, fences and the removal of troops there's a much larger question of how much room humans are willing to leave for wild animals. It brings a global conflict into a single frame: we expand into the living spaces of other species then struggle to tolerate their presence in ours.
In the case of baboons in Simon's Town, the answer is we're not: they're marked for complete removal to a fenced area from which they will never escape for the rest of their lives.
As that day looms, the battle between pro-stay groups and City officials planning the removal is escalating. Demonstrations, posters, baboon solidarity days and officials convinced they're doing the right thing for baboon and citizen safety - it's a confusing space to negotiate.
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But Maverick Earth took a deep breath and decided to try to sort the scat from the sagacity. In this series we'll look at the official position, the science around baboon management, citi...