Baboons (Papio ursinus) frolic near Satara Rest Camp in the Kruger National Park while a lone impala (Aepyceros melampus) crosses the road.

Baboons are very social animals that live in large groups of even hundreds of animals. They eat plants, but also insects and sometimes even fish, birds and small mammals. Their loose cheeks allow them to store food until they are in a safe place where they can eat it at their leisure. Baboons do important work in aerating soil and spreading seeds. They are a source of food for many animals and therefore play an integral role in the food chain.

Females are pregnant for 6 months. Little ones are constantly looked after and only allowed to play some distance away from their mother and have contact with the rest of the group from 4 months.

The footage has once again been provided by Katie and André of Two-V Productions. We thank them for their great videos. Please subscribe to their YouTube channel and follow their Facebook page. Books in their Op Vlerke series can be ordered from Kraal Uitgewers and should be available in the shops in the rest camps of the Kruger National Park soon. Number four in the series is available now! Please note that the books are published in Afrikaans only.