Not too long ago much wildlife roamed freely in the Nairobi area as there was very little human development. However, in the last 100 years the city has grown dramatically and most of the species that were saved now reside inside the Nairobi National Park.
However, as Nairobi has so many large trees, many arboreal species have continued to move over a larger area. Some of these ‘roaming” species include several species of monkeys and olive baboons.
Late one afternoon while driving near the main gate I saw a large troop of olive baboons. They were very relaxed and not frightened by my appearance, so I switched off the vehicle and watched them for a while.
It is well worth the time to sit and watch a troop interact, as much of what they do can be almost “humanlike” and even amusing! The tiny babies cling tightly to the bodies of the mothers and young baboons are always inventing some new game in a tree, or chasing each other on the ground.
Other older baboons spend time doing their daily preening and cleaning exercise, sitting still while another looks for parasites like fleas and lice in their thick fur.
Occasionally a large male would decide to show his dominance by chasing a few baboons, as they all scattered, giving high pitched screeches as they ran away.
Over a period of many years I have noted some of the habits of this particular troop. They seem to like to frequent the area around the Kenya Wildlife Service headquarters and often cross the main Langata road outside the protection of the park.
They are very intelligent and clearly understand that the park is seemingly safer, apart from predators like leopards. However, they seem to be prepared to take risks to go “shopping’ in order to find food. Next time you visit the park, if you find a troop of baboons, sit and watch them for a while. Its really worth it!
For more information on the park you can link to the following websites www.kws.org or www.nairobigreenline.com or on facebook – Nairobi national park