BABOONS AS FARM HANDS

Northland Age, Volume 1, Issue 12, 24 December 1931, Page 3

BABOONS AS FARM HANDS

Rivalling the wildest of jungle “yarns” in strangeness comes the thoroughly authentic news of three baboons captured by a farmer in the Brits district, Cape Colony, and put to work weeding his land. Baboons abound in hundreds in the mountain fastnesses all along the Magaliesberg range, and farmers are sometimes obliged to set traps to rid themselves of the prowlers. Mr. Jan Englebrecht, of Bokfontein, caught three of the wild creatures at various seasons. The first of these he called Japie. By the exercise of the greatest care and kindness Japie was soon taught to lead the oxen on the land, and later even was to be seen at the head of his team walking down the village street. Some time after, Mr. Englebrecht caught two young baboons, and these, by the time they reached the age of 12 months, were proficient weeders of his farm land. Mr. Englebrecht asserts positively that Hennie and Kaffer, as he has named the two baboons, are each of them equal to three natives for weeding. It is a comparatively easy matter to instill knowledge into their small heads, he affirms, provided gentleness and patience are employed. In teaching them to weed, they were taken to the fields and a particular weed was pulled up and showed to them. They would slit with solemn faces watching the actions of their teachers. Then the weed would be taken into

their two small hands. It was first carefully examined, then smelled, and immediately the willing weeder set to work to clear the land of that particular plant. Their speed and thoroughness are said to be marvellous. If perchance they were set to work to uproot a particularly stubborn patch of grass

they would pitch in with a will and refuse to stop until the last vestige of a root was removed. Mr. Smith’s lonely farm is often visited by natural scientists and other enquiring folk anxious to see and speak for themselves to this strange phenomenon.