Wounded baboon guts boy, 4

2006-02-05 22:40

Millicent Merton

Cape Town - A four-year-old boy is in serious condition in hospital after being mauled by a wounded baboon on Saturday morning.

Luciano Adams, known as CJ, and members of his family were at the Kogel Bay camping site at Gordon's Bay when the adult baboon attacked him.

"A fun family outing turned into a nightmare in a moment," said his aunt, Esmeralda Katts, on Sunday.

CJ's parents, Nicolene Adams and Mervyn Booysen, who kept a vigil at his hospital bed, were too shocked to talk to the media.

Katts said the family arrived at the camping site about 07:00 on Saturday morning.

Soon after they had lit a fire about 10:00, a troop of between six and eight baboons arrived and started looking for food in the dustbins a few metres from where the family was camping.

"Two adult baboons had a fight. One of them was wounded, and he suddenly charged at CJ."

Rushed him off to meet ambulance

CJ lay petrified on the ground, his arms stretched above his head. He had a gaping wound to the stomach and his intestines were spilling out.

Katts screamed and the baboon ran away.

She said: "Fortunately, my husband (Brian Katts) kept his wits about him.

"He and my cousin wrapped the boy in a blanket and ran to the office. Staff called an ambulance."

In the meantime, Katts had loaded the boy into his car and rushed off to meet the ambulance. CJ was airlifted to Red Cross Children's Hospital in a helicopter."

CJ's grandmother, Johanna Adams, said the doctor who treated the boy had said Katts's quick action probably saved the child's life.

"My grandson could have been dead, it is only the Lord's mercy that he is alive."

Adams said they immediately packed up.

"The baboons approached again and we had to battle to keep them away from the other children," she said.

The children were still traumatised on Sunday afternoon, and ran screaming into their house, scared that baboons would attack them again.

Adams said: "We can't sleep, we keep remembering the attack."

The family was unhappy because they had to pay an entrance fee to the camping site, and they were under the impression that sufficient security measures were in place.

An employee at the camping site, who asked to remain anonymous, said there were two notices at the entrance to the camping site which said in English: "Beware of the baboons" and "Don't feed the baboons".

"We have a problem with baboons looking for food at the camping site. We try to scare them away with fireworks. We can't do more than that."

Cape Town City Council property

Melikhaya Pantsi, from CapeNature and chairperson of the Cape Peninsula baboon monitoring team, said it was uncommon for a baboon to attack someone who didn't have food in his possession.

The Kogel Bay camping site did not fall under the jurisdiction of the South African National Parks Board, but belonged to the Cape Town City Council.

Pantsi said a meeting would be held soon with the Cape Town municipality to try to find a solution to the problem.

- Die Burger