This is a photo taken on the scenic route to Cape Point after a motorist threw out a bag of muesli rusks. What’s wrong with this scene? An adult male baboon with a cute baby inspecting muesli rusks? The adult male, “Fred” is no longer. He was euthanised in March last year because he’d become too aggressive in his pursuit of human food, and the baby? He is a confident youngster who learned right from this early age to associate humans with a source of food. Many people are unaware of the devastating effect feeding baboons has – it is a cruel act. Even though it’s illegal to feed baboons, many people ignore the law, not realising that it could spell the death sentence for animals.
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Nature on the Edge 
Very good post. It’s hard because as human beings we think an animal is so cute and therefore we should feed it or try to touch it. We don’t often think ahead to realize the impact our interaction may have on the animal’s life.
Thanks for your comments. Yes, it’s interesting how many people seek to interact with wild creatures. … i’m always amazed at what i see in tv documentaries, and wonder if this shapes some of our perceptions? Even though here we have huge, visible warning signs not to feed baboons, people still do it, and it’s an illegal offence.
I agree, a very good post. Since most of us live in cities, far away from nature, we tend to forget that wildlife are not humans, toys or teddy bears.
Too right, Bente… it’s often worse for the creatures that look ‘cute and cuddly’.