HOME WILD BABOONS PLAYING WITH OUR REHABILITATED FREE ROAMING MONKEY TROOP.

The common notion around here appears to be that: baboons are enemies of vervets. Apparently it is as simplistic as that. After doing a lot of hands-on research amongst wild vervet and baboon troops, I have come to the conclusion that these species form symbiotic relationships more often than is commonly assumed - that they certainly will become hostile enemies when resources are being competed for but when that is removed from the equation, they are quite capable of becoming real friends.

In my experience - when watching baboons along the Garden Route, there is enough vegetable food available for them not to resort to meat eating generally. The baboons here tend to choose a vegetarian diet above all else.They therefore cannot be described as predators and their relationship to other primates (vervets and humans for example) is more about sharing respources.

With this being a highly adaptive species, it makes sense that in certain areas and a different context they may adapt to killing for food but on the whole, I am going to conclude that that behaviour is an adaptive one.

One day I came across a single adult male vervet hanging out on the periphery of a baboon troop. I followed them for a while and the baboons seemed quite content with the monkey who apparently - as a single male - was relying them to find natural foods and to warn him of any potential threats. I wonder how common this inter-species interaction is in the wild? The troops in this video are a free roaming semi-rehabilitated vervet monkey troop and a wild baboon troop. They share a territory and have bonded over time, as individuals who understand each other's language. (When this footage was shot, there were no orphaned baboons at the rehabilitation centre).