South Africa, Sept. 17 -- The move, presented as an alternative to culling in the Simon's Town district, has drawn fierce opposition from some residents and conservationists, who say confining wild baboons sets a dangerous precedent.

Male baboons in particular can be intimidating, standing up to a metre tall and weighing up to 45kg.

But Simon's Town resident Sue-Anne Norton, who regularly feeds fruit to baboons visiting her home, sees southern Africa's largest monkeys as neighbours rather than a threat.

"They're not domestic animals. You cannot put them in a cage, and you cannot put electric fencing around them because they will kill themselves trying to get out," she said.

At a protest outside the planned enclosure site, demonstrator...