Bold, Brawling Baboons

The wonder that is the Serengeti is something not easily described with words, or even through pictures. When I returned home and attempted to convey my experiences, the closest I came to explaining it was that it feels as if the beginning and the end of the world is there. Every colour, sound, and texture in existence seems to coalesce in that great expanse of land.

As is to be expected when venturing out in the Serengeti, there are many different groups on tours, all hoping to catch a glimpse of something special. My group was one of many – far too many to count – and within our first few hours venturing out into the savannah we witnessed one of the most unexpected and gripping scenes I could have imagined.

We approached a troop of baboons and I was immediately taken aback by the sheer size of their group; there were at least 50 baboons of all different ages and sizes congregating around one large tree which seemed to bear a sweet fruit that they were all vying for.

We were able to spend a bit of time observing them quietly as they went about their business, and it was fascinating to see just how many of their mannerisms were so very humanlike; the way they scratch their noses, or brush a stray hair away from their face, or huddle together for comfort. It’s times like that when it really is apparent just how similar we are to one another, both in subtle and nuanced ways but also in ways that seem to transcend time, borders, and species.

The photo taken above was shot just before a big fight broke out between the troop. It all happened too quickly for me to be able to determine exactly what the cause was, but it seemed like it must have been to do with food; there was clearly not enough ripe fruit for all of the baboons there, and many of the more mature baboons seemed to be waiting at the base of the tree while the younger ones did the climbing and fetching on their behalf. As far as I can tell, two of the older baboons were fighting over a single piece of fruit, and they certainly weren’t holding back. The memory (and pictures) of the rest of the scenes are a bit of a blur but it was incredible to witness the unfiltered aggression that suddenly emerged, when just moments prior they were all peacefully foraging and eating. I hadn’t realised how far back their lips were able to retract, revealing such sharp and menacing teeth with canines far longer than I had expected. Fortunately, it was mostly posturing and neither of them were seriously harmed, so after a few swipes at each other and screeching that burns the ears, they went their separate ways.

It was surprising to see how calm and composed the rest of the troop remained despite their proximity to the chaos. We looked on as one by one the babies gripped onto their mothers’ backs and the mothers casually walked away, as if to indicate that while this may be a common occurrence, they’re not prepared to remain in the thick of it in case it escalates further.

The big baboon whose menacing stare you see at the very top seemed acutely aware of our presence and looked on with more than a little curiosity. After we noticed how much attention he was paying to us, we created some extra distance between us and them out of respect to their comfort. I’m not sure how I got lucky enough to lock eyes with him more than once but it’s a scene I’ll never forget.