The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa, Johannesburg (2026)

06/10/2026

𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗕𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗠𝗘𝗔𝗡 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦.

The question is not whether Cape Town’s baboons deserve protection. It is whether protecting them must mean removing their freedom.

At Beauty Without Cruelty South Africa, we believe residents’ safety and the lives of wild animals both matter. People should not have to live with baboons entering their homes. Baboons should not have to lose their place in the landscape because we have failed to resolve that conflict.

𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗥.

BWC stands with The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa and fellow member organisations supporting humane coexistence. We oppose permanent confinement as the answer to the Waterfall and Seaforth troops’ presence in Simon’s Town.

For us, animal welfare means more than food, shelter and survival. Freedom of movement, social relationships and opportunities for natural behaviour deserve serious consideration too.

This position comes with a practical alternative.

In its September letter to the authorities, WAPFSA proposed appropriately designed and strategically located baboon-proof fencing, alongside effective waste management, monitoring and community measures. Its proposal draws on Dr Dave Gaynor’s expertise. This is a call to change the conditions driving conflict, not simply to leave residents to cope. [Read WAPFSA’s proposal](https://wapfsa.org/there-is-a-funded-coexistence-alternative-to-the-permanent-captivity-of-the-waterfall-and-seaforth-troops-at-kogelfontein-urban-wildlife-centre-on-the-cape-peninsula/).

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗧 𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗛.

Writing in Daily Maverick on 27 August, zoologist Dr David Gaynor argued for targeted fencing, repairs to vulnerable boundaries, removal of food attractants and independent monitoring before permanent captivity.

Importantly, he proposed measuring results: urban incursions, ranger effort, animal welfare and unintended consequences. That gives decision-makers something concrete to assess, rather than asking anyone to accept a promise on trust. [Read Gaynor’s argument for investing in coexistence](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-27-cape-town-s-baboon-crisis-a-last-chance-conservation-opportunity-fund-coexistence-before-captivity/).

These measures are not foreign to the authorities’ own approach.

The City’s 3 September update announced baboon-proof bins and a northern boundary fence intended to reduce conflict while keeping baboons in their natural habitat. However, it specifically excluded Simon’s Town from that bin rollout because Waterfall and Seaforth were earmarked for relocation. [Read the City’s update](https://web1.capetown.gov.za/web1/newsandnotices/Home/Release/Roll-out-of-baboon-proof-bins-to-start-as-northern-fence-gets-under-way).

That raises a reasonable question: what does the site-specific evidence show about a combined fencing, waste-control and monitoring approach for Simon’s Town, and how does it compare with lifelong confinement?

Different places present different challenges. That is a reason to examine the evidence carefully, not to close the discussion.

𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗔 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗬.

Don Pinnock’s 5 October Daily Maverick report shows that knowledgeable researchers disagree. Professor Justin O’Riain supports the Kogelfontein approach because of the dangers these habituated troops face in urban areas. Gaynor argues that the urban-edge fencing alternative should not be abandoned. [Read “The wicked problem of controlling baboons”](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-05-cape-baboons/).

This is not neatly divided into experts on one side and emotional campaigners on the other.

We respect scientific expertise, veterinary knowledge and the difficult work of rangers. We also value independent researchers, animal-protection organisations and residents with sustained firsthand knowledge. Each contribution should be examined on its merits. BWC’s arguments should face that same scrutiny.

Cape Argus has reported the authorities’ plans for veterinary care, enrichment and oversight at Kogelfontein, alongside opponents’ concerns about unresolved attractants and alternatives to removal. Those safeguards deserve acknowledgment. They do not, by themselves, settle whether permanent confinement is the best available outcome. [Read the Cape Argus report](https://capeargus.co.za/news/2026-09-18-r10m-cape-town-wildlife-centre-completed-for-simons-town-baboon-troops/).

𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗔𝗦𝗞: 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖.

Show the alternatives side by side: expected safety outcomes, welfare effects, costs, maintenance responsibilities and independent evidence. Explain what has been tested, what has not, and why particular options have been rejected.

We can challenge a decision without questioning everyone’s compassion. We can respect authority without treating its conclusions as beyond examination.

Read [WAPFSA’s submission](https://wapfsa.org/urban-wildlife-management-by-law/), then ask your ward councillor to request a clear, public comparison of the coexistence proposal and permanent confinement.

𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱. 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲.

05/10/2026

THE PERMANENT REMOVAL OF THE SIMONS TOWN BABOONS RAISES SERIOUS QUESTIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND CONSERVATION

WAPFSA member Green Group - Simonstown addressed an open letter to the Mayor of Cape Town, Gordon Hill Lewis on the 29 September 2026.

Ironically, while our Table Mountain has been chosen as the centrepiece of the latest UNESCO WorldHeritage Series coin from France’s Monnaie de Paris, with the design paying tribute to the extraordinary CapeFloral Region, the City is going to soon remove about 60 chacma baboons from that landscape.

Green Group Simonstown NPC (GGST) has been actively engaged in environmental and biodiversity protection, wildlife advocacy, and public participation processes affecting the Cape Peninsula, False Bay, and surrounding ecosystems of Cape Town. The organisation therefore has a direct and substantial interest indecisions that may affect the ecological health, environmental resilience, biodiversity, and future sustainability of the Cape Town region and the well-being of its communities.

GGST is writing to raise serious concerns about the City of Cape Town's decision to permanently remove the Waterfall and Seaforth chacma baboon troops from Simon's Town and place them in permanent captivity at theCity's Urban Wildlife Centre at Kogelfontein.

The City's Action Plan provides for the animals to be captured, assessed and moved into purpose-built enclosures, with healthy males vasectomised. Once removed, they will not return to their former free-ranging lives. This decision deserves scrutiny well beyond the immediate question of baboon management. It raises fundamental questions about environmental governance, public participation, animal welfare, conservation andthe City's responsibilities within one of the world's most important biodiversity landscapes.

UNESCO World Heritage recognised and is today celebrating this area for its Outstanding Universal Value, includingits exceptional biodiversity and ongoing ecological and biological processes. The baboons are part of this livinglandscape.

UNESCO has already been alerted to concerns about the baboon population, and in December 2025 confirmed that it had received the JTT's updated Action Plan and was reviewing it with IUCN.

GGST, which was elected by the Simon's Town community and supporting organisations to represent themon the Cape Peninsula Baboon Advisory Group (BAG) established by the Joint Task Team (City of Cape Town, SANParks and CapeNature), has resigned from this Advisory Group. We made clear our position: “Wedid not join the Advisory Group to lend legitimacy to decisions we fundamentally question. We joined because we believed participation meant that evidence, community experience and viable alternatives would influence the outcome. For approximately seven months, we repeatedly raised the same fundamental concerns. We have not seen those concerns meaningfully reflected in the decisions being implemented. We won’t endorsesomething that, in our view, amounts to a zoo.”

We are not alone. The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa (WAPFSA), a national network ofwildlife, conservation, environmental and community organisations, has repeatedly opposed the permanent captivity of the Simon’s Town baboons. It argues that the plan disregards their natural free-ranging existenceand that evidence-based coexistence measures should be implemented, evaluated and transparently monitored before permanent captivity is considered. WAPFSA has also put forward alternatives including secure waste systems, targeted spatial exclusion, non-lethal behavioural management, community coexistence measures and habitat interventions.

READ THE FULL LETTER:

https://wapfsa.org/permanent-removal-of-the-simons-town-baboons-raises-serious-questions-of-environmental-governance-public-participation-and/

Image: Facebook

03/10/2026

WAPFSA SUBMISSION: CITY OF CAPE TOWN “NEW ANIMAL-KEEPING BY-LAW”

WAPFSA focuses strictly on the protection of the welfare and wellbeing of wild animals. The

City of Cape Town’s proposal to permanently confine indigenous wild baboons in cages coupled with the ongoing use of wild animals in circuses and entertainment displays exposes critical welfare concerns and policy contradictions within the new animal-keeping by-laws.

WAPFSA strongly supports the by-law that NO wild or exotic animals may be used in any circus act within the City of Cape Town

South Africa's primary traditional circus, still tours nationally and performs in the City of Cape Town in area such as Milnerton and Brackenfell. WAPFSA strongly believes that circuses should be entirely free of animals because constant travel, extreme confinement, and forced performances make it impossible to meet their basic welfare needs. True entertainment relies on the incredible talent of human performers, not the exploitation and domination of sentient beings.

Wild animals belong in their natural habitats, not in cages. A travelling circus can never replicate the complex environment a wild animal needs to thrive, turning what should be a celebration of life into a lifetime of confinement and broken spirits.

Animals are not props for our entertainment. Because no amount of applause can justify the confinement, social isolation, and abusive training inherent to circus life, it is time to transition exclusively to human-only performances.

Loud music, flashing lights, crowds, and unnatural transport cause intense fear, anxiety, and physical suffering for wild species. Stressed wild animals, such as big cats, used in displays can act unpredictably, creating dangerous hazards for handlers and spectators alike. Treating sentient wild creatures as disposable props or novelty acts for human amusement contradicts modern standards of compassion and respect for wildlife.

Read the submission:

https://wapfsa.org/urban-wildlife-management-by-law/

This submission, with special reference to the absence of the Urban Wildlife Management By-law, questions relating to which by-law(s) will protect the welfare and well-being of the sixty Chacma baboons who will be in permanent captivity in Cape Town, and the support of the ban of circuses from Cape Town who utilize wild animals in their repertoire, is supported by WAPFSA member organisations.

Image: Ban Animal Trading South Africa
Beauty Without Cruelty (South Africa)

03/10/2026

A Regulatory Blind Spot: Cape Town’s Missing Urban Wildlife Management By-law

The City of Cape Town has spent tens of millions of rands on baboon management programmes, designed by experts, over the past twenty-six years, yet the Urban Wildlife Management By-law still does not exist as an active, standalone law.

This proposed legislative framework is scheduled to be developed, and is said to be targeted to be officially gazetted in late 2028 as part of the Cape Peninsula Baboon Action Plan. This by-law will, allegedly, mandate baboon-mitigation measures such as specific fencing or waste-management infrastructure for any new property developments bordering defined baboon habitats.

The City of Cape Town's specific Urban Wildlife Management By-law will, allegedly, be designed to support and strengthen existing wildlife protection and management legislation, ensuring that baboons and other wildlife are actively protected within natural spaces.

In the Western Cape, rapid urban development has aggressively encroached on natural spaces, traditional baboon foraging territories. As human infrastructure expands, what was once natural habitat or natural spaces for baboons have been fast-tracked for development, shifting the narrative so that displaced baboons are now framed as a civic inconvenience rather than the original inhabitants.

The definition of a natural space for a baboon in an ideal world, in ecological terms, is not defined by a single specific ecosystem, but rather by any untransformed, non-anthropogenic (non-human) landscape that fulfils their highly adaptable lifestyle. Baboons are ecological generalists, a true natural space must provide three core environmental modules. Baboons are primarily terrestrial, ground-dwelling omnivores.

WAPFSA, is of the firm opinion that the City of Cape Town should have fully implemented the Urban Wildlife Management By-law and effective waste control long before considering the permanent removal and or the permanently caging of baboons in the Western Cape. The permanent caging of baboons is an outdated, colonial-era approach that, in our opinion, has no place in modern wildlife management.

READ THE FULL WAPFSA SUBMISSION TO THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN:

https://wapfsa.org/urban-wildlife-management-by-law/

Image credit: Facebook

03/10/2026

NATIONAL LEOPARD CONSERVATION STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN 2026

South Africa's constitutional guarantee to protect the environment requires balancing ecological integrity with human development, but equating "sustainable use" with trophy hunting undermines the broader mandate of intergenerational equity and biodiversity protection.

Legal analysts and conservation critics point out that treating wild animals merely as commercial commodities for selective, high-paying sport sidelines holistic ecological stewardship and prioritizes short-term economic gains for private landowners over systemic animal welfare and biodiversity health.

Furthermore, South Africa's higher courts such as in landmark rulings highlighted by the Constitutional Court have increasingly emphasized that the constitutional right to an ecologically sustainable environment cannot justify practices causing severe animal suffering or environmental degradation. Relying on trophy hunting as a core pillar of conservation distorts the true meaning of sustainability, which should instead foster non-consumptive ecotourism, ethical habitat preservation, and genuine community-based resource management that safeguards ecosystems for future generations.

The Draft National Leopard Conservation Strategy and Action Plan 2026 has been published for public comment. The draft Strategy and Action Plan envisions acknowledging leopards as a vital component of the nation’s natural heritage, valued across cultures for their ecological, cultural and symbolic significance.
The draft Strategy and Action Plan is supported by goals and strategic activities based on the species’ (a) ecological role, (b) social and cultural values, and (c) livelihoods and impacts of leopards.

WAPFSA’s Recommendations:

1. The Legal and Scientific Deficit
We must highlight a core, ongoing crisis in South African biodiversity management. South Africa has not published a Non-Detriment Finding (NDF) for leopards since May 2015, yet the government continues to allocate and debate trophy hunting export quotas. This systemic gap places the country's wildlife management in a complex legal and ethical deadlock.

The last formalized leopard NDF, gazetted in September 2015, explicitly concluded that international trade and trophy hunting posed a high risk to the survival of leopards in South Africa. This was driven by a lack of reliable population data, illegal killings, and poor harvest management.

Under CITES regulations and South Africa's National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, an export quota for an Appendix I species cannot legally be enforced without a current, scientifically backed NDF proving the trade isn't detrimental. Despite this, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) has not gazetted a new, finalized leopard NDF to justify recent quotas.

2. Re-evaluate and Reduce Trophy Hunting Quotas

A comprehensive 2026 continent-scale assessment reveals that current CITES hunting quotas exceed sustainable limits in more than half of the trophy-hunting countries evaluated.

Population models dictate that the maximum safe offtake threshold is strictly 10% of the adult male population.

South Africa should instantly audit and reduce hunting quotas to match empirical population data, capping annual harvests well below the 10% adult male threshold to prevent localized population collapses.

3. Prioritize Corridor Connectivity & Habitat Restoration

Leopards have vanished from roughly 41% of their historical African range. Predictive models show that leopard density drops significantly near high-density human settlements, agricultural zones, and dense livestock farming, specifically sheep and goats.

Conversely, leopard populations thrive where there is a high species richness of wild bovids and suids. Suids are stout, hoofed mammals with thick skin and prominent tusks. African species commonly hunted by large predators including the bushpig (Potamochoerus larvatus) and the common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus).

We need to shift focus from isolated protected areas to landscape-level habitat restoration and designated movement corridors to reconnect fragmented forest and savanna patches. Proactively restore populations of wild prey, ungulates, inside and outside protected boundaries to reduce the likelihood of leopards targeting domestic livestock.

4. Establish Centralised, Standardised Monitoring Databases

National leopard trend lines are highly volatile and mask dangerous regional declines. For example, while some national datasets show an average annual increase of 2.6%, regional data shows areas such as KwaZulu-Natal are actively losing leopards at a rate of 3% per year, while data for the Eastern Cape remains entirely scarce.

South Africa needs to fund and scale continuous, large-scale camera-trap surveys spanning 1500–3500 km². Consolidate this data into a centralised national population database, mirroring frameworks like the Cape Leopard Trust's Leopard Data Portal in order to eliminate blind spots and enable adaptive, real-time management.

5. Revise Human-Wildlife Conflict and Translocation Protocols

Long-term tracking shows leopards possess incredible homing instincts. When a "problem animal" is trapped and translocated away from its home range, it routinely attempts to navigate back, steering it directly through dense human/agricultural landscapes. This increases the frequency and severity of human-leopard conflict rather than reducing it.

These are some practical considerations:

Treat capture and translocation as an absolute last resort.
If an animal must be captured and released, it should remain within its immediate home range.
Invest heavily in non-lethal community-driven deterrence, compensating farmers for livestock protection, and addressing the cultural use of leopard skins through sustainable alternatives.

READ FULL SUBMISSION on behalf of all WAPFSA Member organisations:

https://wapfsa.org/south-africas-draft-national-leopard-conservation-strategy-and-action-plan-2026/

Image Brian Abrahamson

19/09/2026

THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE TO KOGELFONTEIN “URBAN WILDLIFE CENTRE”

https://wapfsa.org/there-is-a-funded-coexistence-alternative-to-the-permanent-captivity-of-the-waterfall-and-seaforth-troops-at-kogelfontein-urban-wildlife-centre-on-the-cape-peninsula/

The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum of South Africa (WAPFSA) is a national network of thirty South African organisations, established in 2017 to engage government on matters concerning the conservation and protection of wild animals and the natural environments in which they live. Its members work across animal protection, conservation, environmental justice, law, governance, climate justice and community advocacy.

WAPFSA’s positions are informed by robust science, constitutional and environmental law, ethical and compassionate conservation practices, and a commitment to humane coexistence between people and wild animals.

WAPFSA has written to the City of Cape Town, CapeNature, SANParks and Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team to urgently remind them that a concrete and constructive proposal, an alternative to capturing the Waterfall and Seaforth baboon troops and confining them permanently at the proposed Kogelfontein Urban Wildlife Centre, exists.

The alternative is: an appropriately designed and strategically placed baboon-proof fence, developed and assessed with the benefit of Dr Dave Gaynor’s expertise, together with effective waste-management, the monitoring and vital community based knowledge of the baboons, all measures needed to make the intervention effective.

Image: Green Group - Simonstown

Green Group - Simonstown

08/09/2026

South Africa's draft National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2026-2035

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment

The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa Submission summary:

📃South Africa’s Biodiversity Policy Challenges

South Africa’s draft NBSAP 2026–2035 faces criticism for not aligning with global biodiversity goals and global standards like the Kunming-Montreal Framework.
Domestic policies are seen as watering down international commitments, with severe ecosystem threats and declining biodiversity.

📄Global Biodiversity Framework and International Commitments

The Kunming-Montreal Framework aims to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 but relies on voluntary targets with limited enforcement.
Many global targets, including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, were not achieved by 2020, due to poor monitoring and lack of national implementation.

📄Critical Biodiversity Threats in South Africa

Nearly 48% of ecosystems are threatened, with rivers and wetlands in critical danger.
Major pressures include habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, climate change, and illegal wildlife exploitation.

📄Climate Change Impact on Biodiversity

South Africa’s unique ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change, which degrades habitats and accelerates species loss.
The country’s current climate policies are rated insufficient, with continued reliance on fossil fuels and slow renewable energy adoption.

📄Economic Priorities and Nature Commodification

The Global Biodiversity Framework emphasizes integrating biodiversity into economic systems, risking the commodification of nature.
Market mechanisms and financial systems are increasingly used to prioritize economic growth over ecological integrity.

📄Marine and Terrestrial Conservation Failures

South Africa’s marine and terrestrial protected areas are underperforming, with habitat degradation and illegal resource use.
Large-scale poaching, captive breeding, and culling threaten species like elephants, rhinos, and lions.

📄Policy and Governance Concerns

Scientific authorities lack structural independence, raising concerns over policy integrity.

Enforcement of environmental laws is weak, with ecological reviews permitting resource extraction in protected areas.

📄South Africa’s International Biodiversity Role

The country ratified the C*D in 1995 and participates in COP meetings, but domestic policies lag behind global commitments.
The country’s biodiversity is vital for ecological resilience, yet faces severe pressures from development and climate change.

📄Critique of Global Biodiversity Framework and International Policies

The GBF emphasizes short-term economic gains over ecological and community values.
Critics argue it commodifies nature through mechanisms like biodiversity offsets and credits, favoring corporate interests.

📄South Africa’s Biodiversity Strategy and International Alignment

The country’s NBSAP aims to align with the Kunming-Montreal GBF but faces challenges in ecological protection.

International targets like 30x30 are undercut by domestic underfunding, poor enforcement, and systemic management failures.

📄Operation Phakisa’s Ocean Development and Conservation Tensions

The initiative promotes offshore oil, gas, and seabed mining, risking marine ecosystems.
It claims to incorporate conservation through Marine Protected Areas and spatial planning but prioritizes economic growth over ecological health.

📄Terrestrial Resources and Biodiversity Economy

Focuses on wildlife ranching, bioprospecting, and ecotourism to generate economic value.
Critics highlight habitat fragmentation, overgrazing, and environmental degradation from game farming and land use changes.
South Africa’s Provincial Nature Reserves Crisis
Only 9.2% of land protected, far below the 30% target, with 90% of reserves underfunded and poorly managed.

Systemic issues include poaching, invasive species, infrastructure decay, and inadequate governance.

📄Threats to Rivers, Wetlands, and Freshwater Ecosystems

Over 60% of freshwater systems are compromised due to pollution, damming, and habitat destruction.

Wetlands and rivers face destruction from agriculture, urbanization, and invasive species, undermining biodiversity and water security.
Large-Scale Poaching and Wildlife Trafficking
Poaching of plants and animals like rhinos, elephants, abalone, and succulents is driven by international demand.

Illegal trade threatens species’ survival and fuels organized crime, with millions of plants seized but actual figures likely higher.

📄Captive Breeding and Wildlife Exploitation

Intensive lion breeding and rhino horn farming conflict with conservation targets and may increase illegal poaching.

Captive lions are often used for tourism and trophy hunting, with little contribution to wild population recovery.

📄Elephant Management and Culling Controversies

South Africa’s elephant populations are mostly fenced, with debates over culling versus habitat expansion.

Critics argue culling violates ecosystem integrity and disrupts social structures, while proponents see it as a conflict mitigation tool.

📄Management of Human-Wildlife Conflicts and Ethical Concerns

Capturing and caging baboons and other wildlife contradicts targets for coexistence and genetic diversity.

Non-lethal solutions like fencing and waste management are recommended but often rejected in favor of captivity.

📄Policy Gaps and Scientific Authority Independence

South Africa’s reliance on government-funded scientific bodies risks politicization and compromised objectivity.

Weak enforcement, underfunding, and institutional dependencies hinder effective biodiversity conservation and compliance with international obligations.

Read the full submission:

https://wapfsa.org/wapfsa-submission-south-africas-draft-national-biodiversity-strategy-and-action-plan-2026-2035/

13/08/2026

STEVE SMIT - IN MEMORIAM

Steve Smit, a beloved member of the Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa (WAPFSA) also affectionately known as KwaZulu-Natal's famous "Monkey Man," passed away on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, after a brave, well-fought battle with cancer.

His passing has left the global conservation, and KwaZulu Natal communities deeply heartbroken, we collectively mourn a legendary champion for wildlife. Over a span of thirty years, he dedicated his entire life to the protection, rescue, and rehabilitation of urban wildlife, leaving behind an unforgettable legacy as a fierce voice for the voiceless.

Conceptualized in 2017, WAPFSA took shape as a collaborative network in 2018 before gaining full formalization in 2019. However, founding members Michele Pickover, Executive Director of the EMS Foundation, and Steve Smit shared a close professional alliance that extends all the way back to 2003.

Michele Pickover interviewed Steve Smit in 2003 as part of her research report titled: The Environmental Movement in South Africa – An Analysis of Animal Based Issues, Campaigns and Organisations. On page 365 of her report she stated that there were no animal rights organisations in South Africa. Five years later, on the 8 March 2008, Animal Rights Africa (ARA) was officially launched marking an unprecedented milestone in African animal rights advocacy. The two key figures and co-founders of Animal Rights Africa were of course, Steve Smit and Michele Pickover.

Steve Smit and Carol Booth founded the Monkey Helpline in 1995. A dedicated non-profit organisation responding to thousands of rescue call-outs annually across KwaZulu-Natal. The EMS Foundation has played a pivotal role in supporting this successful wildlife rescue and rehabilitation operation by providing substantial financial backing to the Monkey Helpline Rehabilitation and Sanctuary Centre to ensure the long-term survival of rescued Vervet monkeys in South Africa.

Steve Smit was also an important member of the WAPFSA Primate Working Group. This group focuses on the welfare, ethical management, and protection of indigenous primates in South Africa including amongst other, the chacma baboon. Over the past few years Steve Smit has been particularly outspoken against the current chacma baboon management policies adopted on the Cape Peninsula and the Overstrand regions of the Western Cape.

WAPFSA honours the incredible life and profound legacy of our dear friend and colleague Steve Smit. Steve was a legendary, tireless champion, a fierce voice for the voiceless, and a true pillar of ethical conservation in South Africa. While we deeply mourn this monumental loss, his fierce spirit, unwavering dedication, and decades of compassionate activism will forever guide our collective mission to protect the wild. Rest in peace, Steve; your vital work continues through the endless lives you saved and the network you helped build.

📸Steve Smit Monkey Helpline with Michele Pickover EMS Foundation circa 2006.

https://wapfsa.org/steve-smith-in-memorium/

The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa

06/10/2026

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