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PHALANX

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Show us your Baboon pic's reminded me me of an encounter we had at Keekorok lodge.

 

KEEKOROK LODGE: MASAI MARA.

 

It was a very hot day, one of those days where after lunch a afternoon siesta was the order of the day. Back at our room, the first thing to do was get some cool air flowing through it. I opened a long slim window which was at the far end and left the door ajar. We collapsed on to our beds and were embraced by a cool gentle breeze, heaven. It was not long before we were both asleep.

How long it was before I was awoken I do not know, I can't even recall what had woken me, but as I looked around the room my eyes gradually focusing I could not believe what was sitting on the stool in front of the writing table by the door. It was a very large male Olive Baboon who was helping himself to our fruit basket. No sudden moves I was telling myself, remembering a few years earlier a woman who had been scratched by a Vervet monkey and was awaiting the flying doctor service to get her to Nairobi, Her and her enormously swollen arm.

I was fully awake now and had to decide on the best course of action. I gently awoke my wife who was sound asleep, she was not best pleased but soon put her displeasure to one side when she looked to where I was pointing. Before I could tell her not to make any sudden move, in fear of a defensive reaction from the baboon, she was off her bed and heading for the bathroom. For a split second I could not believe what she was doing, she was leaving me to the Baboon. All this happened within about one minute, and during that time the Baboon had not moved an inch, sitting there peeling a banana.

Ok, it was now just me & the Baboon and for a fleeting moment I thought, he's got the upper hand, he was not phased at all. As I slipped off of the bed I remembered being told not to make eye contact with Baboons as they see this as a challenge. well mate I thought, it's just me & you now, and standing tall, making myself as big as I could, I moved towards him. He turned towards me when he saw my movements, and as he looked at me I stared directly at him and made lots of noise which startled him. Thankfully he grab the fruit basket and the tray it was on and ran. As I followed him out of the door I saw the Baboon man, as he was know, coming from the right, the Baboon discarded the tray which was impeding his getaway and was heading for the bushes. The basket was next, cast aside as the Baboon man closed in.

He had seen the Baboon troop and was coming to disperse them when he saw the male coming out of our room. They disappeared into the bush and he retrieved the tray & basket and took them with him. As he passed by he had a big smile on his face and indicted to me, close your door. Of course I will, what was I thinking of, to much sun, the heat who knows.

When I got back to our room I could hear my wife calling "Alan, has he gone? Alan!"

I told her it was safe to come out. As she came out I asked her how much she loved me? "sorry" she said. "you left me with a wild animal & hid in the bathroom? "I thought that's what you would want me to do darling. You did not want any harm to come to me did you?" I laughed, we embraced, I closed the door and we attempted to get forty winks before the next game drive.

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