Pringle Bay residents in the Western Cape are outraged at a National Geographic documentary that used food to lure baboons to a house in the area, it was reported on Tuesday.

The Cape Times reported that the primates were filmed with hidden cameras placed in a specially modified and fully furnished cottage, part of the Cape Hangklip Hotel.

The television series, Big Baboon House, had angered residents as it undermined years of effort to keep the animals out of their houses.

The Pringle Bay Baboon Action Group said there had been a steady increase in aggressive baboon activity in the past three months.

“What they did is completely unacceptable. To lure baboons with food is not only illegal, it also disrupts the peaceful cohabitation we've been trying to maintain between humans and baboons.”