Fayçal al-Zahrani lives in al-Baha province. Baboons frequently invade his neighborhood.

They typically arrive before dawn, in groups of 10 to 20 baboons. First, they raid crops in the fields around the village, then they tear open the trash bags and even try to break into houses to steal food. Last week, they caused a panic at a girls’ school they attacked early in the morning. They managed to steal cookies in the backpacks of the students. Residents are also concerned because baboons can transmit serious diseases.

Baboons near a school in Assir. Photo taken by Muhammad Amara in December 2012.

“A dozen years ago, these monkeys never went into the cities”

I feel bad for the farmers because their crops are often damaged. My neighbor recently had half of his grape crop destroyed. He set up scarecrows to frighten the baboons off, to no avail.

A dozen years ago, these monkeys never dared to enter into cities because they were too afraid of humans. But along the roads and in small towns, people have gotten into the habit of feeding them. This practice encouraged monkeys to venture into inhabited areas. We haven’t gotten much help from the authorities to deal with this problem.