Some of you may remember that we rescued a baboon family of three from a horrible roadside zoo back in early 2020 – Marlin, Violet, and Presley. The father and his two daughters have lived alongside long-term residents, Darwin and Kaleb, since they arrived and we have watched them go from opponents (Darwin would, literally, throw rocks at them when they first arrived!) to friends. For the last year at least, all five could regularly be found grooming one another through the adjoining fence.
Our Carefully Considered Plans to Unite the Baboons
Our long-term plan was to have the five meet and live in the same enclosure in a group of five, which would allow them more socializing opportunities – something that is hugely important to all primates (including humans). But, introducing baboons to one another is no small thing – due to their large size and strength, they can seriously harm or even kill one another if things go wrong, so we were very cautious about making plans to allow them into the same space and carefully watched their behavior over time to ensure we really understood their dynamic. For example, Kaleb was the alpha male in his small group of two and Marlin was the boss in his enclosure. Kaleb is older, bigger, and more experienced, but Marlin is younger, stronger, and faster, so if they got into a fight, either one of them could be seriously injured.
Then there was Darwin to consider. Darwin is an adult baboon but, due to his unnatural upbringing as a “pet,” can behave very much like an adolescent. We needed to be sure that the newer arrivals understood Darwin’s behavior and didn’t attack him if he behaved in ways that were unexpected. We didn’t know how Marlin would respond to either of the older baboons interacting directly with his daughters; whether he would be possessive, or would he allow them to build their own relationships. For all these reasons, we watched and we waited to be as sure as we could be that an introduction would be the right thing for all of them.
The Baboons Are United at Last!
And so the day came, last week, when we felt that they were ready and the intro began. We began by letting Kaleb and his three neighbors meet while Darwin stayed in a different part of the enclosure. Other than a couple of small scuffles while they worked out who was boss (it’s Kaleb!), the intro could not have gone better. The following day, Darwin was added into the mix and, while initially a little tense, the bonds they had built through the fence held true and by the very first afternoon together, all five were found cuddling up and grooming in one of the shelter boxes in the enclosure.
New Friendships Take Flight!
In the last week things have gone from good to great with Marlin and Darwin becoming particularly fast friends and Marlin spending hours grooming his new bestie. Somewhat comically, Darwin doesn’t seem to realize that grooming is supposed to be reciprocal and, so far, has not returned the favor. Marlin does not seem phased by this though, perhaps because he gets groomed regularly by his two daughters! Kaleb, meanwhile, is very close to the two girls and they love spending time together.
This is particularly heartwarming as Darwin and Kaleb have cohabited for years but are not particularly close – they don’t spend time grooming one another and often move around their space independently of one another. To see all five monkeys engaging in very positive socializing has been wonderful.
Long may it last!
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Liz
Help Support the Baboon Friends with a Monkey Adoption!
Adopt Darwin, Marlin, Violet, or Presley (or all four!) from our monkey adoption program to provide these special animals and their friends with good food, personalized care, enrichment, medical care, and more!
