BABOONS ON THE MARCH.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVIII, Issue XXIV, 12 June 1897, Page 775

BABOONS ON THE MARCH.

According to what would appear to be undeniable authority, the baboons of Africa organise their defensive and other movements with an intelligence scarcely inferior to that shown by many savage races. The baboon is a slow-moving animal, with little of the agility of most of the monkey tribes. Nevertheless, he is comparatively safe from the usual dangers which menace him so long as he stays among the rocks and woods. But it is his habit to spend much time in the open country, and upon these excursions his sagacity in organising for a combined defence is chiefly shown. How this organisation works was witnessed not long since by a well known naturalist and traveller. On one occasion, he says, the baboons were on flat ground, crossing a valley, when his dogs—Arab greyhounds, accustomed to fight successfully with hyenas and other wild beasts of prey, rushed towards them. Only the females took to flight ; the males on the contrary, turned to face their opponents, growled, beat the ground with their hands, showed their teeth, and regarded their adversaries so furiously and maliciously that the latter, usually bold and battle-hardened, shrank back. By the time the dogs were encouraged to renew the attack the whole herd, with the exception of a six-months’-old monkey, had made their way to the rocks, under cover of their rear-guard. The little monkey sat on a low rock surrounded by the dogs, but was rescued by an old baboon, who stepped down and advanced toward the dogs. He kept them in check by gestures and menacing sounds while he picked up the baby monkey and carried it to the cliff, where the dense crowds of monkeys, shouting their battle-cry, were watching his heroism.

The march of the baboons is not a mere expedition of the predatory members of the community. The whole nation ‘ trek,’ together, and make war on the cultivated ground in common. The tribe often numbers from 250 to 300 individuals. Of these the females and young are placed in the centre when on the march, while the old males proceed in front and bring up the rear. Other males scout upon the flanks. It has been noticed that these remain on guard, and do not feed during the whole time that the rest are gathering provender. If disturbed by men, the old males form a rear-guard and retire without any haste, allowing the females and young to go ahead with the plunder. Their retieat is, as a rule, deliberate and orderly, the baboons being quite ready to do 1 attle with any animal on the plain, and instantly become the assailant of man himself when they get the advantage of position. The traveller whose experience we have just given was himself once stoned out of a pass in a few minutes by the dog-faced baboons. He thus describes the occurrence :— ‘ While the screaming females with their young ones fled with all haste over the crest of the rock beyond the range of our guns the adult males, with furious glances and beating the ground with their hands, sprang upon stones and ledges, looked down on the valley for a few moments, continually growling, snarling, and screaming, and then began to roll down stones on us with so much vigour and adroitness that we immediately saw that our lives were in danger, and took to flight.’