NSPCA says community members are protecting each other after the killing of Raygun the baboon.
There was a sigh of relief after a second baboon was spotted on his way to Pretoria and was captured and relocated on Thursday morning. This follows the killing of another baboon, named Raygun, at a school in Delmas last week.
Brendan Murray, from the Owl Rescue Centre, said the second baboon was spotted coming from Bronkhorstspruit towards Pretoria North. It was safely captured and relocated about 130km away early on Thursday morning.
Earlier this week, another male baboon was spotted going from Bronkhorstspruit to Pretoria North.
NSPCA investigating killing of Raygun
The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) spokesperson Jacques Peacock confirmed that the NSPCA has retrieved the remains of the male baboon, affectionately known as Raygun, for a post-mortem and will investigate the brutal killing at the Botleng Secondary School in Delmas, Mpumalanga.
Raygun was beaten and set alight at the school. The baboon’s body was later mutilated, with his hands, feet, head and heart cut from his body, which suggests the case may be linked to superstition regarding baboons used in witchcraft.
School ‘refuses to identify those responsible’
Peacock said the NSPCA’s investigation has been difficult because the community members are protecting each other.
Peacock also said the NSPCA is offering a R20 000 reward for information leading to a successful conviction, relating to those who were involved in harming Raygun and the origin of the video footage. He urged those who filmed the attack to come forward.
“Videos circulating online went viral on 7 February. Despite the footage, the school management refuses to identify those responsible. After consulting with the school management, who are responsible for the approximately 1 800 children on the property, it became clear that this case is deeply rooted in superstition regarding baboons used in witchcraft,” he said.
Peacock said the NSPCA was informed that the community, who allegedly started chasing Raygun, asked the school to notify them if any authority attempted to investigate the school about Raygun’s death.
Reactions to brutal death of baboon
Manager of the NSPCA’s Wildlife Protection Unit, Chief Inspector Douglas Wolhuter, said, “no animal should ever endure such suffering and agony”.
“We are horrified by this level of cruelty. Raygun was in search of freedom, in a new territory – something all baboons do instinctively,” he added.
Zoology Professor Ray Jansen, from the Tshwane University of Technology, said the children who killed Raygun should be prosecuted.
“It was cruel and unfair to kill any animal in that manner, especially an innocent animal that did no one harm and lost his way home,” he said.
“Every animal has a right to life. That was shocking coming from children,” he added.
Jansen questioned whether the school principal or teachers were there during the killing of the baboon and why no one stopped the children.
Animal rights activist Smaragda Louw said culture is not an excuse for the abuse of animals.
“Culture changes. People change. Even when people cling to culture to justify brutality and violence, there are always non-violent options. For Raygun, an option would have been to inform an animal protection organisation to come and remove him,” she said.
