Papio ursinus ursinus
The Chacma Baboon is the biggest wild primate occurring in South Africa. Males can weigh up to 50kg, while females are more lightly built and weigh up to 28kg.
Evil-looking juvenile Baboon
Pensive baboon
Baby baboon missing out on attention
Baboons abound along the Sabie
Baboon near Satara
Baboon smile
Young baboon
Chacma Baboon
Coy Baboon (photo by Joubert)
Baboons grooming
Baboons can be found in virtually any habitat, provided there is a reliable supply of drinking water and safe places to sleep at night (usually in the form of tall trees, cliffs or caves). They are equally easy to please when it comes to their diet, taking fruit, berries, grass, leaves, flowers, mushrooms, roots and tubers, insects, scorpions, snails, eggs, small birds, reptiles and mammals (including the lambs of antelope) and, along the coast, molluscs, crayfish, crabs, etc. Unfortunately they quickly learn that humans and their waste is an easy source of food, and in many reserves, towns and cities have become quite adept at raiding human habitations.
Bold baboons frequent the camp at Giant’s Castle
And then quickly grabbing a loaf of bread from an unguarded kitchen
Preparing for their early morning raid on the camp
Baboon
Baboon scratching for grass roots
Baboon acrobats
Baboons
Baboons are a common sight at Giant’s Castle
Thirsty Baboon
Surveying the landscape
Baboons taking a swim on a hot day
Baboon
Baboons at Umbondwe Picnic Spot
Chacma Baboon on a cliff-face
Baboons at Umbondwe Picnic Spot
Chacma Baboon
You stuck what in there!?
Baboons frequent the camp in the mornings
Chacma Baboons keep to large troops, some over 300 animals in size, in which a strict hierarchy is maintained, sometimes through violent fights. This dominance hierarchy determines where an individual will feature when it comes to access to food, water, sleeping spots and mating partners. They also forge alliances and friendships strengthened by mutual grooming. Lower ranking adult males take turns to act as sentinels on the look-out for danger. Chacma Baboons are diurnal and mainly terrestrial and troops can cover as much as 15km in a day while foraging. Because they have such keen senses Baboons are often accompanied by other herbivores.
Bold baboons frequent the camp at Giant’s Castle
Baboon
Time for some mutual grooming before the game begins
Playful baboons at Kumasinga
Playful baboons at Kumasinga
Playful baboons at Kumasinga
Playful baboons at Kumasinga
Roofing thatch apparently make wonderful toys for little baboons
The big males are the most confident
Baboon
Baboons
A huge troop of baboons
Baboon beauty treatment
Baboons often pass through camp looking for scraps and stealing from the accommodation units
Male Baboon taking a break
Fast asleep in the early morning sun
Male Baboon taking a break
Baboons have learnt that unlocked cars could be an easy source of food
Yawn!
Baboon escaping from a chalet at Thendele Camp
Chacma Baboon
Time for grooming
Wet Baboon after a rainstorm
Baboon surveying the landscape
Baboons having fun at Lengau Dam
Baboons having fun at Lengau Dam
Baboons having fun at Lengau Dam
Baboons relaxing in the shade
Baboons settling in for the night
Baboon
Baboons huddling together in the rays of early morning
Baboon
Young Baboon disliking the attention of human onlookers (photo by Joubert)
Young Baboon
Chacma Baboon
Female Baboons give birth to single young (rarely twins) at any time of the year. Newborn babies hang from their mother’s tummy when she’s walking, while older babies ride on her back like a jockey. Youngsters remain dependant on their mother until they are at least a year old. Females remain in their maternal troop when they reach adulthood, while young males join other troops. All animals in the troop are extremely protective of babies, and when attacked by a predator the large males will usually launch a counter attack. Leopards are the main threat to adult baboons, but they are not easy prey by any means. Chacma Baboons have a life expectancy of up to 45 years in the wild.
Like father, like son. Baboon spectators at Kumasinga
Baby baboon getting a piggy-back ride
Baby Baboon getting a piggy-back ride
Baboon jockey
Shingwedzi jungle-gym
Shingwedzi jungle-gym
Shingwedzi jungle-gym
Shingwedzi jungle-gym
Shingwedzi jungle-gym
Shingwedzi jungle-gym
Baboon family life
Baboon mothers make excellent vantage points!
Young Baboons hang from their mother’s tummy
Older babies ride on mom’s back like jockeys
Young Chacma Baboon
Young Baboons love playing
Sibling bonding
Baboon youngsters at speed!
Baboon youngster
Levitating Chacma baboon youngster
Female Baboon in oestrus
Baboons
Chacma Baboons
Chacma Baboons (photo by Joubert)
Chacma Baboons (photo by Joubert)
Chacma Baboons (photo by Joubert)
Chacma Baboons (photo by Joubert)
Baboons on the roof of the reception office at Potberg
The IUCN regards the Chacma Baboon as being of least concern in conservation terms. Despite being persecuted as vermin in farming areas and suburbs, the Chacma Baboon remains common and widespread, and is one of the few large mammals still regularly encountered outside the formal conservation areas in South Africa. They can be found in virtually every nature reserve and national park in the country, but in our experience they are most easily viewed at the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, Garden Route National Park, Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, Kruger National Park, Pilanesberg National Park and uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park. Chacma Baboons also occur in Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho.
Baboon male
Young Chacma Baboon
Female baboon with baby
Baboon posing for a photo
Baboon on a wet thatch roof at Giant’s Castle
Young Chacma Baboon
Baboon youngster thinking of mischief
Grooming Chacma Baboons
Baboons are probably the most easily seen mammal in Giant’s Castle, as they move through the Rest Camp daily
A pair of mating baboons high in the mountains
Baboons are probably the most easily seen mammal in Giant’s Castle, as they move through the Rest Camp daily
Baboons are probably the most easily seen mammal in Giant’s Castle, as they move through the Rest Camp daily
Baboons are probably the most easily seen mammal in Giant’s Castle, as they move through the Rest Camp daily
Baboons use precarious beds
Baboons use precarious beds
Baboon chasing a Black-backed Jackal
Baboon
Baby baboon
Baboon
Baboon sentry
Baboon
Young Baboon
Curious baby Baboon
Baboons
Baboon
Chacma Baboon
Chacma Baboon
Baboons
Baboons in Mapungubwe National Park
Baboon feeding on water plants in Mapungubwe National Park
Baboons in Mapungubwe National Park
Baboons in Mapungubwe National Park
Baboons in Mapungubwe National Park (photo by Joubert)
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Love this selection of pics! Looking at their physique they are definitely slimmer and taller in build than our bulky Cape Peninsula ‘beachbums’ with their sun bleached fur. Have you ever seen baboons hunt or kill / eat mammals? Buck young, dassies?
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Thanks Liz!
We’ve noticed that the baboons of the Drakensberg and Golden Gate have much shaggier coats than those living in the Lowveld and Zululand – must be an adaptation to the colder climes.
And indeed, we’ve seen baboons tear apart steenbok, impala and nyala lambs – very gruesome scenes!
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Was curious about the carnivorous side of their diet and source of protein. Gruesome i can just imagine! On occasion here on the Peninsula have seen the odd baboon filch filleted fish from the fishermen when gutting their catch on land.
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We saw a bunch of baboons by the roadside while driving in the cape. And one cheeky baboon tipping over someone’s bin to get some food!
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Those Cape Town baboons are notorious for their thieving exploits, but again it is because humans push them into ever tighter corners by robbing them of their natural habitat and food sources.
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Great photos and that’s a really long life expectancy.
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Thanks P J B. Indeed, baboons are very long-lived, allowing lots of time to teach the young generation all the tricks of the trade!
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Ai toggie al te veel soos mense…
Mooi foto’s
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Ons lag altyd lekker vir al die menslike eienskappe wat ons in die kese raaksien. Dankie, Tina!
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Daar’s ‘n klein trop wat nou weer hier rondloop. Ek ken die alpha male al. Of herken hom ten minste. Hy’s baie arrogant. Ek verjaag hulle deesdae, ek is besig met ‘n gedoente in die tuin agter en wil nie hê die trop moet in die jaart kom en dit verniel nie. Ek blaf terug vir hom en gooi klippe dat dit bars. Gelukkig luister hulle en na ‘n ruk verdwyn hulle net om die volgende dag weer terug te wees. Hulle het geleer om vir mense bang te wees hier. Ek bly op ‘n kommersiele denne plantasie se gronde en die bobbejane kan die dennebome sleg verniel wat groot skade vir die plantasie veroorsaak. Die bobbejane word geskiet as dit te erg raak. Niemand stem saam daarmee nie, maar skynbaar is daar nie ‘n ander plan nie. Waaroor die bobbejane bang is vir mense hier. Dis Komatiland se grond. Ek’s reg by die Berlyn waterval.
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Weer n geval waar ons eintlik self vir die “probleemdiere” verantwoordelik is deur hul natuurlike habitat grootliks met plantasies te vervang, is dit nie Petru?
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Inderdaad die waarheid.
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Great photos you’ve taken! 🙂 Especially with the kids playing in the trees, I’ve never seen that before. The baboons seem more calm and peaceful than other baboons that I’ve seen on television.
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They normally are very calm, John, and just go about their routine, but at times they can be very temperamental as well and make a huge fuss!
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THey seem to have everything needed to be a successful species!
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That’s very true! They’re very clever and very adaptable.
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Pretty amazing creatures.
janet
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That they are, Janet!
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My two favorite photos are of the baboon surveying the landscape (how does that branch support him??) and the one sitting on the car mirror. How very brazen of him?! 🙂
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That’s just the way they are, Lois – brimming with self-confidence!
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Ooooo, daardie eerste foto is tipies bobbejaan se kind! Die klomp “kindertjies” laat my dink aan die klomp kleintjies by die skool. Hul het n hele eie speelplek vol met klimapparate. Ai, dit laat my terugdink en onthou dat die bobbejane in die berge om Potgietersrus met tye ge-boggom het vroeg oggend en ook saans! Glo nie daar is meer wat wild loop nie. Nou onthou ek ook , ek het op Steilloop, eintlik meet Zaaiplaats skool gehou. Troppie bobbejane het een oggend kom kyk hoe kinders skoolgaan. Kinders het natuurlik weer gaan kyk wat hulle daar doen. Ons moes net keer of hul het handgemeen geraak met mekaar.(jy weet hoe kinders is. Sê, moenie dit doen nie dan doen hul dit!)
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Mens sien soveel menslike trekke wanneer jy n trop bobbejane dophou, Ineke. En ek kan net dink wat n konsternasie n trop bobbejane in n skool sal veroorsaak!
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