There has been a revolution in the Big Baboon troop! The normal standing of hierarchy has had a shake up with the baboons vying for the dominant male and female position. Nemo has finally overthrown Spock as the dominant male of the troop, much to Wildlife Co-ordinator Cila's delight as his proud baboon mother. And even more suprising - Doree is now alpha female above Big Mamma! Hierarchy can be determined by how the baboons interact with one another and the respect given to individuals within the troop.
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| Lunchtime - meilepap, fruit and vegetables |
Nowadays, Nemo is the first to launch at the food when their mixture of mielepap, fruit and vegetables is dished out in their camp, and he chases the other baboons away to ensure he is the first to be fed. Similarly, Doree now always gets first pickings with Big Mamma taking second rank in the females.
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| Big Mamma |
Not only have these two individuals raised their rank, but by association, their friends and allies in the gang have also risen higher. This includes Doinkievan who is generally favoured by Nemo and so Doinks now receives greater respect from the fellow baboons.
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| Doinkievan |
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| Nemo playfighting with Cila |
The biggest and most dominant baboons on the farm certainly didn't live up to their reputation the other day whilst out on a walk with Cila and Johannes. Cila and Johannes noticed a puff adder in a hole and pointed it out to the baboons - poor Jeffrey screamed like a girl and they all wanted to run away! It's funny to watch 18 adult baboons react and be so scared of a snake - but puff adders are extremely venomous and cause the most fatalities in Africa so they are right to be cautious. Cila and Johannes led the troop away much to the relief of the baboons, especially Jeffrey!
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