Baboons, baboons, baboons!
September 21, 2007 by Luka
Baboons are one of my favourites subjects to photograph whenever I go for a safari. Always funny, especially young ones, very intelligent and they let you to get close to them. It is quite interesting to observe their behaviour, very social creatures with strict hierarchy in the troop. The best time to watch them is in the morning, soon after they get up, when a day is still fresh. The little ones are playing with each other, adults are grooming or even mating…
Morning grooming.
Baboons are quite common animal throughout entire East Africa. You will find them at almost every national park or game reserve or even in a human-settled areas. They are very opportunistic animals and sometimes they can be really pain-in-the-ass for local people. My favourite place to watch them is Lake Nakuru national park in Kenya. This is one of the smallest national parks, but it is packed with wildlife. You can spot baboons at least three times a day, sometimes in a large troop, sometimes just a few individuals or just a lone baboon. Nakuru is a great place, because you can find them everywhere; on the trees, on the road, grassland or at the cliffs above the lake. Most of the photos in this post are from Nakuru, some of them are also from Masai Mara NP(Kenya), Arusha NP and Tarangire NP (both Tanzania).
Male baboon masturbating. Yeah, monkeys do it too:)
Sometimes baboons block entire road. You can’t do anything but wait until they decide to move away.
A female approaches dominant male showing him her hindquarters – a clear sign she is willing to mate. Sometimes I envy baboons – it is so simple to get laid for them:)
OK, this fella is a little too young for this…
Young baboons fooling around.
Although baboons spend a lot time on the ground they are excellent climbers. They also sleep in the treetops.
Baboon cliff. In the background you can see lake Nakuru.
A portrait.
Let’s try some bugs.
A free ride.
Baboon the top of termite mound observing the vast savanna in Masai Mara.
Baboon family in the high grass of Tarangire NP.
If you would like to read some tips on photographing during African safari, take a look at this article. Or you can visit my Africa wildlife gallery at Pbase.com.
This blog is about my two greatest passions; photography and travelling. I want to share my experiences with as many people as possible. If you like this place, leave me a comment and show it to your friends as well! Enjoy! 
Živijo Ratluk! Moram enkrat tja. Pa baje da lahko kaj urediš…. hehehe
Nice cool snaps…..! great work
i love your photos. it’s a breath of fresh air to the staleness of dayton, ohio. evidently, killing time with an image search of “baboon butts” was well worth it. thank you for sharing–your work is breathtaking.
Wow. Good shots. The photos seem to tell a story