In this conversation I sit down with Jenni Trethowan the Founder and Director of Baboon Matters, an organisation which has provided a ‘Voice for Baboons’ for over 25 years.

In case you don’t know, baboons are the largest primates we have roaming wild, in and around Cape Town and as Jenni puts it, baboons are a very polarising topic, generally people either love or hate them.

Jenni’s journey started with the Kommetjie Environmental Awareness Group(KEAG) an organisation she founded with a partner. This experience opened her eyes to the subtle connection that exists between plants, animals and humans, seeing how they are all interrelated. Back in those days, almost 30years ago, Baboons were not protected and it was not uncommon to hear of an entire troop being killed if they had caused any disturbance in the suburbs.

This is part of what inspired Jenni to take action and launch Baboon Matters to focus on educating the public, securing their protection and to help create a sustainable solution to a peaceful coexistence.

After years of tracking and observing these amazing animals, Jenni has gained deep insight into their behaviour and offers valuable perspective on how we can go about creating a safer environment for Baboons. She also shares her top tips on how to be better prepared for a potential baboon encounter on your property or in the wild.

Although this conversation focuses on baboons and our relationship with them in Cape Town, it touches on the much bigger conversation of humans and our relationship with nature. It highlights how, if we don’t take the right approach and strive to find a compatible balance, we may wake up one day and realise that it's too late. Now is the time to make the difference, to be part of the solution, as we’ve said before, if we take the attitude of ‘I can make a difference’ then surely we will make a difference.

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