A baboon has been spotted near Pretoria
The Owl Rescue Centre is on high alert after another baboon was spotted near Pretoria.
"We have another young dispersing male baboon making his way from the Roodeplaat area towards Pretoria. We'll do our best to chaperone and or catch him and get him to a safe area," said Owl Rescue Centre's Brendan Murray.
He asked residents to contact the centre if they spot the baboon.
The latest sighting comes just days after another male baboon was brutally killed by learners at a Delmas school.
Raygun shot to fame late last month following reports by the Owl Rescue Centre that he had jumped a fence at a local sanctuary and ended up in the national archives building at the Department of Arts and Culture.
He was then tracked to the Zwavelpoort valley, near Olympus, just east of Pretoria.
The male Chacma baboon then made his way to a school in Mpumalanga where he was killed.
Murray said a witch doctor came through and cut his hands and head off. The witch doctor also cut his chest open and took out his heart.
He said Raygun's remains were buried under a Marula tree at a local sanctuary.
The National Council of SPCAs is investigating the killing and has offered a R20,000 reward for information that will lead to a successful conviction.
"The school principal – who on her own version went to move her motor vehicle from the chaos and ran back into the school building – is refusing to provide the names of the three learners who were seen chasing Raygun on the school’s roof. According to the school, ten children fainted earlier that morning, leading to the belief that the baboon was sent to cast a spell. The community is protecting each other at all costs, making the NSPCA’s investigation incredibly difficult," said spokesperson, Jacques Peacock.
He added that the NSPCA will embark on a large-scale programme to educate children and adults alike about the sentience of animals, their protection under the law, and what to do when wildlife is encountered in built-up areas.
seanne.rall@iol.co.za