Claim: Comments under a Facebook post showing a foreigner feeding a baboon at Shai Hills have users debating whether the practice is allowed at the resource reserve.
Verdict: True! Feeding baboons at Shai Hills is not allowed under wildlife management rules and reserve guidelines, although it is not explicitly criminalised under Ghana’s Wildlife Resources Management Act, 2023 (Act 1115).
Full Text
A viral Facebook Reel showing a visitor feeding baboons at the Shai Hills Resource Reserve has generated strong reactions online. In the comments section of the post, several users warned that feeding the animals is “not allowed,” “against the rules,” and “an offence at the reserve.”
Comments under the post include: “Why can’t they be fed?” “They look hungry,” and “If it’s wrong, what exactly is the harm?”
DUBAWA reviewed screenshots of the comments and found that the dominant claim was that feeding baboons is not permitted, with significant public confusion about the reasons behind the restriction.
To verify the claim and explain the rationale, DUBAWA examined Ghana’s wildlife law and interviewed the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission.
Verification
The Wildlife Resources Management Act, 2023 (Act 1115) regulates the protection and management of wildlife in Ghana. Section 11(1)(b) of the Act prohibits any person from “disturbing, molesting or interfering with any wild animal in a protected area” without authorisation.
While the Act does not explicitly list “feeding” wildlife as an offence, it gives wildlife authorities broad powers to regulate human interaction with animals in protected areas.
Baboons (Papio anubis), the animals involved in the Shai Hills incident, are listed as Partially Protected Species under the Second Schedule of the Act.
According to the authorities
In an interview with DUBAWA, Ernestina Anie, Public Relations Manager at the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, confirmed that feeding baboons at Shai Hills is not allowed, even when the animals are seen near roads.
“Shai Hills is a protected area. The animals have their habitat there, and whatever they need—food and water—is already in the reserve,” she explained.
Ms Anie said the presence of baboons outside the reserve is largely due to encroachment and damaged fencing, stressing that this does not permit public interaction with the baboons.
“Going in and out of the park does not mean people can feed them. They have everything they want in the reserve, so it is not allowed for people to feed them,” she said.
She outlined several reasons for the restriction, including disease transmission between humans and animals, ingestion of plastics and inappropriate food, disruption of reproduction, and long-term damage to the ecosystem.
“When you feed the animals, there is an exchange of diseases. You don’t know what you give to the animal, and you don’t know what the animal gives to you. It becomes a chain that affects the entire ecosystem,” she noted.
Ms Anie also warned that such practices threaten ecotourism and conservation funding.
“When these animals die slowly, it affects ecotourism. People come to see them, and the country earns revenue. If we destroy them, we lose that benefit.”
Conclusion
The claim circulating in the comments section that feeding baboons at Shai Hills is “not allowed” is true.
Although Ghana’s wildlife law does not explicitly criminalise feeding baboons, reserve management rules and wildlife authorities prohibit the practice due to serious public health, conservation, ecological, and tourism-related risks.
Visitors to protected areas are therefore expected to comply with these restrictions and avoid feeding wildlife under any circumstances.
