Farms and crops in Al-Hada are also affected by the continuous raids by the baboons.
Local residents complained many times to Taif Gov. Fahd bin Muammar, demanding protection for their farms and crops.
The complaint was transferred to the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development, which is searching for ways to solve the problem.
Khaled Al-Namri, a farm owner in Al-Hada, is demanding an immediate solution to the baboon problem.
“They attack neighborhoods and feed from trash containers. I am afraid that their rising number will spread disease in the area. They attack people and destroy crops in search of food. Something needs to be done about this because this is our livelihood,” he said.
He said lately the animals have started attacking cars and throwing rocks at pedestrians, adding that people need to be warned not to feed them, especially tourists.
Taif resident Khaled Al-Qurashi, who is a nurse at a local hospital, said the baboons are spoiling the scenery, adding that they are continuously harming the residents and their farms on the mountains.
“The problem is that visitors to Taif are attracted to them. They see them as a tourist attraction and buy food for them. The baboons become dependent on humans for food and that persuades them to live close to the villages and cities. Baboons could spread disease among humans, although there is no record of that so far.”
Fellow resident Sultan Al-Sufyani claimed baboons were responsible for killing a Saudi driver earlier this year when a big rock hit his car while he was driving by Al-Karr Mountain.
The rock fell onto his pickup truck, shattering the front window and his car went off the road. A passenger sitting next to him was seriously inured.
“Eyewitnesses on the road said that baboons were throwing rocks at the driver,” Al-Sufyani added.
Another local resident, Abdul Aziz Al-Tuwairqi, said he was attacked by baboons that tried to drag his son away.
“I was in Al-Hada when a group of baboons grabbed my four-year-old son. I managed to free him and held him over my shoulder,” he said.
“My other children were scared to death hiding behind me, while baboons were attacking me from all sides. No one was around me at that time and my own weapon was my shoe, while I also threw rocks at the animals. I managed to make it to my car, but not without injuries and bites.”
Ismaeel Ibrahim, official spokesman for the Taif municipality, said this year there were 47 reports of baboon attacks, 18 of them on local farms.
He said the animals not only eat crops, but also destroy trees and other plants.
Head of the National Wildlife Research Center in Taif Ahmad Al-Booq said there are at least 2,000 baboons living in and around the city, feeding from garbage. He also said the problem would be resolved soon.
He said baboons are divided into two groups. The first lives in the wild, while the second stay close to villages and cities. The latter is sometimes aggressive and attacks humans when provoked or when food is scarce.