Most clowns, sure. But a brave few...
Posted on 08/30/2010 10:48:22 AM PDT by nickcarraway
The sun is setting over South Africa's oldest vineyard and the last of the wine-tasting tourists are climbing onto their buses. But one large family group has no intention of leaving – and there is little the management can do about it.
Groot Constantia, in the heart of Cape Town's wine country, can deal with inebriated holidaymakers – but it is invading baboons which have developed a taste for its grapes that the wine makers are struggling with.
Each day, dozens of Cape Baboons gather to strip the ancient vines – the sauvignon blanc grapes are a particular favourite – before heading into the mountains to sleep. A few, who sample fallen fruit that has fermented in the sun, pass out and don't make it home.
"They are not just eating our grapes, they are raiding our kitchens and ripping the thatch off the roofs. They are becoming increasingly bold and destructive," said Jean Naude, general manager at the vineyard, which is celebrating its 325th birthday this year. Guards banging sticks and waving plastic snakes have been deployed with only limited success, and not even a blast of a vuvuzela, the plastic horn made famous at the World Cup, seems to frighten them.
It is not just the vineyards in South Africa which are under siege, however, but also the exclusive neighbouring suburb of Constantia, home to famous residents including Earl Spencer, Wilbur Smith and Nelson Mandela.
Crisis meetings between animal welfare groups and traumatised locals are struggling to find a workable solution.
"Where there's a mountain, there's a baboon," said Justin O'Riain of the Baboon Research Unit at the University of Cape Town. "As we take up more and more of their land, the conflict increases."
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
So what do you have against baboons?
Monkeys are a little creepy. Apes rock, though.
Ya know, a few guys with varmint rifles would be happy to fix this for them. All they’d have to do is pay for ammo and accomodations.
Most clowns, sure. But a brave few...
Ew. Brave but still creepy. That isn’t Tim Curry, is it?
There was an old (80’s maybe) HBO movie called “Animals Are Beautiful People”. It was a humorous documentary about animal life in southwest Africa, particularly the Namib Desert. My favorite scene shows a bunch af animals (baboons, elephants, etc.) eating fermented fruit, then partying the night away. The morning after scene is hilarious.
Now we know why you are so mean to gunner!
In the interests of accuracy, I AM a couple of steps up from monkeys.
Clowns are another matter entirely.
Oh, so they're acting like progressive-liberals.
What have you got against Wombats?
Darks, TheOldLady is dissing the Wombats.
I’m going to have to side with Eaker on this .............
But he said he liked those whips and chains.
I love wombats, as Darksheare well knows. I just forgot to mention them, so they fall into “among others.” I forgot the zombie deer too. Are you going to break my arm for that too? Meanie. ;-)
I’m old; I forget stuff.
“I remember that topic well, I think it’s the one where we all got banned for life.”
Thanks nickcarraway.
And this precious little thing doesn't look too messy to me.
The victory of the ANC, Nelson & Winnie Mandela's revolution has reached it's final objective today after it was reported that Drunken Baboons Plague Cape Town's Exclusive Suburbs
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