#KeWildlife – Story 1 

It’s no surprise that the strangest part of a baboon is its bright pink bottom. Which begs the question, how did it get that way? 

Well… 

Hadithi Hadithi? 

A long time ago the baboon deemed itself the guardian of all watering holes such as dams, lakes and swamps. They were angry looking animals and at every water body one or two stood guard to defend its territory against other animals. 

One hot afternoon a donkey walked by intending to take a drink from the dam that was guarded by one fierce baboon. As the donkey bent its head to take a drink of the cool water, he heard a shout. 

“What are you doing?” demanded the guardian baboon. 

“I’m just taking a drink of water for I am thirsty,” replied the donkey. 

“If you want to drink the water you must fight me for it!” 

And so began the brawl between the two animals. Punches and bites that left them both with bruises. Finally, the thirsty donkey grabbed the baboon by his neck and threw him against a big rock. The baboon landed with a thud, scraping off the fur on his backside and leaving his bottom exposed – a bright shade of pink. 

The donkey drank his water and went about his day. 

As for the baboon, he lived to tell the story of his shameful encounter with the donkey – and since then all baboons from his lineage came to be in the same form; angry looking and covered in fur all around with the exception of their bottom. 

* 

The Olive Baboon has a thick hairy coat of yellow, black and brown hairs throughout its body. Its alternative name is Anubis baboon, a name derived from the Egyptian god, Anubis, from which this baboon is said to resemble in more ways than one. 

With pink bare bottoms, the baboons rely on their hairy tails for comfort, and thus cannot use them to grab or hold objects. These mammals do, however, have magnificent sensory skills and can smell, hear or see approaching threats. They actively search for food; feeding on both meat of dead birds and plants in the areas where they are found. 

Speaking of habitats, Olive baboons are found in 25 countries throughout Africa extending from Mali in the West to south of our border. If you’d like to see an Olive baboon chilling in the afternoon or going about its day, we suggest a trip to Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park or the Nairobi National Park. 

#KeWildlife