Drunk baboons plague Cape Town's exclusive suburbs

Groot Constantia, in the heart of Cape Town's wine country, can deal with inebriated holidaymakers – but it is invading baboons which have developed a taste for its grapes that the wine makers are struggling with.

Each day, dozens of Cape Baboons gather to strip the ancient vines – the sauvignon blanc grapes are a particular favourite – before heading into the mountains to sleep. A few, who sample fallen fruit that has fermented in the sun, pass out and don't make it home. 

"They are not just eating our grapes, they are raiding our kitchens and ripping the thatch off the roofs. They are becoming increasingly bold and destructive," said Jean Naude, general manager at the vineyard, which is celebrating its 325th birthday this year. Guards banging sticks and waving plastic snakes have been deployed with only limited success, and not even a blast of a vuvuzela, the plastic horn made famous at the World Cup, seems to frighten them. 

"Next up we're going to start locating pictures nailed to wooden posts," Naude went on to describe, "certain  research has shown that Baboons can be more easily frightened by the sight of an incredibly ugly face or scene, so we'll see where this leads us."

Pictured: Artist rendering of a computer designed repugnant human face that caretakers hope will frighten away the other Baboons.