The Baboons : Fun and Survival – On Safari in Tanzania

 

 

As we moved further south, we came upon an area that apparently supported dozens of baboon family groups.

 

Some of the baboons we saw were quite tame and stayed close to the roadway we traveled.  In fact, we stopped near some of them and they paid little attention to us at all – and we were only a few feet away from them.

 

 

 

 

On another occasion, we came upon one or two family groups where three young baboons were playing together, teasing and chasing each other.  They entertained us as you hear in the comments and laughs of some of our group members as we watched their antics.

 

The last part of the video shifts from fun to survival.  We were fascinated when our guides took us for an after-supper ride as the sun was setting to witness the nightly ritual of a large group of baboons – perhaps numbering between fifty and seventy five.  These baboons, in family groups, climb a huge baobab tree and ascend to the highest branches of the tree.  They all face away from the setting sun and we were told that they will stay in the tree top until morning as a means of maximizing their safety from nocturnal predators such as prowling lions and leopards.

 

We were all quite surprised at the totally different lifestyle and temperament of these baboon families from their midday fun and fearless demeanor to their collective serious preservation routine each night. Such is their way of life in the Serengeti.