While on the Peninsula Tour with the Stanford in Cape Town program, I saw close to 30 baboons in a grassy area in the Cape Point National Park. These baboons were on the side of the road, and they were freely roaming and crossing the street even though there were tons of cars driving around. This made me want to do some research about these baboons, and how they interact with humans in this national park.
After a bit of research, I found a Research Unit, specifically focused on the study of these baboons in this area. Humans tend to keep feeding these animals, and it is lowering their natural drive to find food. Is it necessary to cut all human interaction with these creatures for their own well-being? This research foundation is looking into the answers to these questions.
The research made me question the ethics of human interactions with wildlife. Is research a form of detrimental human interaction? I don't know if it is possible for animals to have a natural upbringing if humans are involved. Even if the people have good research intentions, laboratory conditions are providing a place to which animals must acclimate. This means that animals are becoming more comfortable with human interactions, which could be detrimental to their survival in the wild
http://www.baboonsonline.org/bru/
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