The Baboon Sanctuary was established in 1989 as a sanctuary for all indigenous wildlife. While no small mammal, raptor, reptile or bird is turned away, the Sanctuary has specific expertise in nurturing and caring for primates, with an emphasis on the chacma baboon. The Baboon Sanctuary currently houses over 400 baboons and is the only facility in Southern Africa that accepts orphaned or abandoned baboons and offers them long term care.

Despite being listed as a CITES Appendix II “threatened” species, baboons are offered no protection under the law in South Africa. Baboons are shot and poisoned by farmers, illegally captured for sale as pets, utilised by traditional doctors for "medicinal" purposes, and vulnerable to such hazards as power lines, pylons, veld fires, habitat destruction and road accidents. The Baboon Sanctuary’s main intake is small, pink-faced baby baboons, generally orphaned after their mothers have been injured or killed. The Sanctuary also offers refuge to baboons released or confiscated from laboratories – allowing them to grow old with dignity. These baboons are often severely traumatized, having spent many years incarcerated in small lab cages being subjected to numerous experiments.

The Baboon Sanctuary has pioneered many firsts in primate care, and its rehabilitation programme has gained respect within scientific and animal behavioural communities. Their success in rehabilitating hand-reared animals and releasing fully formed troops back into the wild has been well documented in numerous television programmes, including documentaries shown on the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. Despite these rehabilitation successes, releases are infrequent due to the difficulty in finding suitable release locations and the local authorities reluctance to issue the necessary permits (nature conservation officials sadly consider baboons and other primates in South Africa to be "vermin" as they compete with the farming industry).

The Baboon Sanctuary has been involved in several other well publicised events, including the first recorded instance of breeding Samango monkeys (a red data listed species) in captivity, the rescue and relocation of hand-reared lions destined for "canned hunting," and an inventive solution for rescuing a hippo which had fallen into a swimming pool. Assistance has also been given to anti-poaching and drought relief efforts in the Olifants River area.

A registered non-profit organization, the Baboon Sanctuary receives no government or major corporate support, and is reliant on the generosity of concerned individuals and animal welfare groups to continue their work. They believe strongly in the preservation of our natural wildlife and, although the baboon is not a glamorous animal like the rhino or cheetah, contend that it is important to ensure its survival before it too joins the mountain gorilla and the chimpanzee as another of Africa’s endangered primates.