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Home Animals Birds Try To Catch Their Eggs From Baboon ‘Criminals’

Birds Try To Catch Their Eggs From Baboon ‘Criminals’

Waterholes are a source of life in the bushveld, however, one at Sweni Hide in the Kruger National Park recently became a hive of frantic activity and destruction when a troop of cunning baboons invaded the tranquil home of a group of geese.

Heather Djunga
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Baboons enter the ‘crime scene’

The Chacma Baboon has a diverse and flexible diet including grass, seeds, fruits, mushrooms, lizards, insects, hares – and also eggs. It was with this delicacy in mind – eggs – that two baboons approached a nest by a rocky outcrop alongside the river by Sweni Hide.

Unsuspecting ‘Mother Goose’ watches as intruders enter

The baboons arrived by the river, marching in with all authority, in full view of the game viewers and the unsuspecting geese.

Troop behaviour is one of the strengths of baboons, and baboons will do everything in troops: sleep, groom, and in this instance, hunt and eat. While one baboon stayed a little back and held a goose’s attention, the other made his way to the nest where the prized eggs were nestled. His movements towards the nest were unnoticed at first.

An unforgettable showdown

However, the menacing baboon soon had the group of geese’s full attention – and they did what any good parents would do, flapping their wings and making as much noise as they could.

Still, the baboon managed to grab and egg, before fighting his way to the shoreline. He took his fair share of blows from the geese, but he also stood his ground and managed to get away with the egg.

Second thief goes for the prize

It was then the second baboon’s turn to approach the nest, which he did. Following a wrestling match with the geese, he dropped the egg into the water. He wasn’t about to relent though, and managed to fish the egg out, while the geese kicked up a huge fuss.

With the prize back in hand, he sprinted with the precious egg towards the sandy banks of the river; as though carrying a ball towards the touchline. The geese remained hot on his heels.

The geese put up a determined fight, but the baboon was too fast and strong. He made his way back across the rocks towards the shore, to where his friend had already made it to safety.

Baboons enjoy the spoils of their crime

The struggle was not for nothing. Settled on the sandy banks of the river, the baboon sat down to enjoy his feast; in full view of the distraught geese.

The menacing baboons left the geese nest empty, and the vigilant observers watching at the hide were reminded of the fragility of life at the waterhole, and the challenges animals face in protecting their young from and eggs from predators.

While just two baboons were filmed in this particular egg ‘heist’, a troop of baboons can contain several to over a hundred members! The average troop contains around 50 members. The behaviour and hierarchical structure of these troops has enthralled wildlife researchers for decades.

The way the baboons worked together to steal the eggs from the unsuspecting geese demonstrated the intelligence and cunning of these animals in their natural habitat.


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