News / Local
Baboon causes a stir in city
06 Mar 2012 at 05:24hrs | Views
BUSINESS came to a standstill in Bulawayo when a baboon made a surprise appearance in the city centre on Friday. The baboon reportedly started moving around the city centre at about 7am while carrying its baby and caused chaos as residents chased it all over the place, saying it was taboo to see a baboon roaming the city centre.
Residents alleged that it came out of a truck that was delivering fruits and vegetables at a market, situated along 5th Avenue.
When Chronicle visited the scene on Friday, residents were chasing the animal from building to building as it continually jumped from one rooftop to another.
The crowd kept following it, causing a traffic jam as motorists were unable to drive past Robert Mugabe Way.
A recharge card vendor who witnessed the drama said he suspected the baboon belonged to an unscrupulous businessperson who was using it for juju. "This animal belongs to one of the businesspeople who are selling vegetables. The person was unlucky because it followed him to the city today. This reveals that some people are using juju to prosper in their businesses," he said.
Another resident said the baboon was going to bring bad luck to Bulawayo as it was normally seen in rural areas.
"Leyi yimihlolo sibili, yikho izulu lingasoze line lapha koBulawayo ngoba indwangu ziyabonakala emgwaqweni libalele kanje. I have never seen such a thing in my life. I think this baboon will bring us bad luck," he said.
There was drama when officials from Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority came to the scene to capture it.
The baboon started running for dear life, causing havoc as it leapt from rooftops before taking refuge on a branch on top of a D G Patel and Co Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable outlet.
One woman who was touched by the act, questioned the officials on why they wanted to kill the innocent animal.
She said it was of no harm because it was not terrorising anyone.
"This baboon is harmless because from the onset we are the ones who have been terrorising it. It also has rights like all of us," she said.
A number of people from the crowd shouted at the woman and threatened to assault her if she continued to "advocate" for the animal. The parks team shot it on the leg, but failed to capture it. It was spotted yesterday afternoon on the roof Tredgold Government Complex.
Residents alleged that it came out of a truck that was delivering fruits and vegetables at a market, situated along 5th Avenue.
When Chronicle visited the scene on Friday, residents were chasing the animal from building to building as it continually jumped from one rooftop to another.
The crowd kept following it, causing a traffic jam as motorists were unable to drive past Robert Mugabe Way.
A recharge card vendor who witnessed the drama said he suspected the baboon belonged to an unscrupulous businessperson who was using it for juju. "This animal belongs to one of the businesspeople who are selling vegetables. The person was unlucky because it followed him to the city today. This reveals that some people are using juju to prosper in their businesses," he said.
Another resident said the baboon was going to bring bad luck to Bulawayo as it was normally seen in rural areas.
"Leyi yimihlolo sibili, yikho izulu lingasoze line lapha koBulawayo ngoba indwangu ziyabonakala emgwaqweni libalele kanje. I have never seen such a thing in my life. I think this baboon will bring us bad luck," he said.
There was drama when officials from Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority came to the scene to capture it.
The baboon started running for dear life, causing havoc as it leapt from rooftops before taking refuge on a branch on top of a D G Patel and Co Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable outlet.
One woman who was touched by the act, questioned the officials on why they wanted to kill the innocent animal.
She said it was of no harm because it was not terrorising anyone.
"This baboon is harmless because from the onset we are the ones who have been terrorising it. It also has rights like all of us," she said.
A number of people from the crowd shouted at the woman and threatened to assault her if she continued to "advocate" for the animal. The parks team shot it on the leg, but failed to capture it. It was spotted yesterday afternoon on the roof Tredgold Government Complex.
Source - chronicle
