Monkeying around on the Whale Trail

I hiked the Whale Trail earlier this year with my brother, who was visiting from the UK, and a group of friends. We call ourselves the ‘Happy Hikers with Snacks’ (you should see how much padkos we carry!).

On our first night, we heard loud noises coming from the trees behind our cottage. We were having a braai and the distinctive cough of a baboon and the shaking of trees prompted us to gather at the wall of the property to see what the commotion was about. We saw a huge alpha male shaking tree branches from above, screaming and putting on a great show, which had us wondering why he was so upset. Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement in the bushes next to us, and could just make out the rest of the baboons sneaking around the side of the cottage.

They were trying to get to our precious snacks, no doubt, but luckily we’d closed all the windows and doors. This baboon’s sole purpose was to distract us while his troop raided the house. Their strategy provided great entertainment.

– Tony Pearson, Bothasig