Baboon Bullies

Baboon resting in the tree above my hut

Baboons in the creek below my hut
 

From My Diary Tuesday 15th Oct: My peace was shattered when I heard our German friends had an encounter with a baboon yesterday.  The baboon had banged on their door, climbed over their roof and entered their hut through the small oval bathroom window.  It is the only window in each hut without a steel grill.  The man realised the baboon was inside and rushed to the bathroom where the baboon scuttled out through the broken window.  Fortunately the owners are replacing all the bathroom windows with strengthened glass, but it left me feeling a bit uneasy.  My bathroom
window is partially obscured by grass from the thatched roof.  I wondered if the previous occupants of their hut had fed the baboon and it had came back to demand food?  I soon realised the baboons will run off if you go near them but we were told to steer clear of the large males.  There is a large weeping tree next to my hut where they congregate and jump on my roof at 5am each morning.  Who needs an alarm clock?!  They howl, holler, jump noisily and make a mess with leaves and sticks all over my balcony.  I give up and get up to get ready for the 6am safari start.  They are quiet for the rest of the morning but start all over again after lunch, which is a good time to rest on my king size bed.  I have no qualms about reading outside at my table on my balcony after breakfast.  I don't take any food outside with me, only my cuppa.  I know the baboons are smarter than I give them credit.  The General Manager and staff are very much aware of the tactics of the baboons and know the large male baboon leads his troop and keeps them in order. 


Lion leading us on the beaten track

On safari this morning we come across a lone male lion emerging from the bush and sauntering down the dirt track in front of us.  He just kept on walking, stopping once to turn his head and let out a soft growl towards us.  The next minute he lay down on the side of the road as if he was the centre of attention!  One of us asked Lawrence if he did this to allow his pride to move to safer ground?  'Yes, that is exactly right,' Lawrence replied.  A very smart lion.  We followed him for 15 minutes and left as other jeeps appeared to view the lion.  Our next stop was the water hole in front of the General Manager's house.  Not only is there a large crocodile but also a half dozen hippos.  All very much asleep as we viewed, we could only see the very top of their heads.  The crocodile was enjoying the sun and made no movement.  The hippos are active at night and our jeep sat among the trees which they had destroyed and partially eaten.  We moved on and were excited to see waterbuck, giraffes, elephants and zebras.  We stopped in an open 

Hippos enjoying early morning snooze
 

clearing for our morning tea before heading back to camp for a delicious breakfast with the group.