The Hamadrayas Baboons

so i went down to the singapore zoo over the weekend.

nothing much has changed in the zoo since i last went there 3-4 years ago. there is currently a new exhibit on white tigers, which is pretty standard, lazy tigers sleeping on a rock kinda thing, but its not too bad. i am very proud of the Singapore Zoo, i think its the best in the world, absolutely no contest.

the highlight of the singapore zoo though, has to be the Hamadrayas Baboons exhibit. its spectacular, with more than 7 troops, each troop consisting of a dominant male, with about 3-4 females, 2-3 immature males, and 3-4 youngs. Observing the social dynamics is absolutely spectacular. i am posting some pictures here for everyone to see. Venga, you would be interested to know, that new DNA studies show that all the varieties of baboons, olive, black, hamadrayas etc. are all just races of baboons, not different species.

Here we see part of a troop. Notice in the background a female with a gigantic distended, swollen backside? That means she's in heat. some monkey's gonna get lucky soon... Also notice the huge male in the middle. These baboons are about 2/3 the size of a human, with canines as long as a leopard. don't mess with them.

Here we see an example of the social dynamics. You can see the mother attending to her 2 young, one which is probably 1-2 years old, and another which is probably around 3 months old. They are sharing food, the mothers are extremely attendant, the behaviours are shockingly human like. Notice the young male in the background, haha.

Ah, the great circle of life. There was a premature birth that morning we went to the zoo. We saw the mother fiercely holding on to the lifeless ragdoll like figure of her baby. We spoke to the zookeeper, the keeper said that its too dangerous now for them to move in to remove the baby. The entire troop is still very protective of their young and probably in grief.

It was a great experience. these baboons are worth the 22 dollars admission fees alone. watching them, i can't help but think how little difference there is between us humans and animals. its a humbling thought.