Jeffrey the baboon has been spotted in various residential areas in the northern parts of Johannesburg since 20 March, and residents are being warned not to approach or scare him.

Community groups and Facebook posts have been sharing information about Jeffrey’s whereabouts to keep locals up to date on his movements but this might do more harm than good.

The baboon is estimated to be about six-years-old, and has not run away from his troop, but is rather looking for another to avoid inbreeding. It is a natural movement for baboons of his age. He has been seen in Quellerina, Northcliff and Parktown, and is said to move about 25km every day.

CLAW is trying to capture Jeffrey the baboon to relocate him

According to a Facebook post, CLAW is trying to capture Jeffrey to ensure he is safe and not harmed. They have twice missed the opportunity to trap him because security guards chased him away.

Another Facebook post warned that Jeffrey is not dangerous and will not harm anyone.

“Please do not feed him, chase him, try to catch him or try hurt him. Cora Bailey from CLAW is a very experienced monkey and baboon capturer, and is on her way to where he was last sighted.Please don’t post on social media his location as this could lead to chaos and more people around him will just make him keep running and harder to catch,” the post read.