One of my favourite animals to watch in The Gambia has to be the baboons and the best place to see them is in Makasutu Forest, about an hour and a half’s drive inland from the coastal resorts. Here I’d like to share some of my photographs and a few baboon facts to give you a better insight into these fascinating monkeys.
Baboons walking through Makasutu Forest
Replanting Makasutu Forest and the return of the baboons
When the founders of Mandina Lodges, first moved to Makasutu they set about re-planting the decimated forest. Some 20 years later the reforestation has been such a success that baboons have returned. There are five species of baboons of which those in The Gambia are the smallest, Guinea baboons (Papio papio) and up until their return to Makasutu, they were only common up-country. Deforestation is a big problem in The Gambia and while Guinea baboons are not considered endangered they are listed by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as near threatened.
A few baboon facts
Baboons are one of the largest of monkeys and like other ‘Old World’ monkeys, they do not have prehensile tails and live mainly on the ground (unlike New World monkeys whose gripping tails allow them to be more agile in the trees). Baboons still climb trees to sleep and sometimes to eat or look out for danger, however, they spend most of their time on the forest floor.
This adolescent baboon sits eating in a tree but its tail is used for balance rather than for clinging onto the branch.
Baboons are omnivorous eating fruit, roots, bark, grasses and seeds as well as birds, rodents and other small mammals, even the young of larger mammals on occasion.
Young baboons foraging on the forest floor
The male baboon is larger with a fuller mane of fur around his face and upper body
The females carry very younger babies underneath them
Older infants usually ride on their mother’s back
When a female is ready to mate a pink swelling on her rump is clearly visible – apparently, it’s a real turn-on to the boys!
Baboons live in troops which can vary greatly in size (40 to 200) and within this there is a complex hierarchy for both the males and females. Within the troop there will be sub-groups where one male has a harem of females. In general, a female’s rank is determined by her mother’s rank whereas a male’s rank is determined by his size, power and confidence. High-ranking males have a greater chance of mating. High-ranking females can displace lower-ranking females from food and water sources as well as from being groomed. Grooming between troop members removes insects as well as dead skin and also serves as an important bonding activity.
Among other things, a female’s ranking affects the rate at which their young grow and reach maturity.
Females always stay within the same troop, whereas males may change troops. Grooming between troop members removes insects as well as dead skin and also serves as an important bonding activity.
Baboons are diurnal, meaning that they are active during the day and their life expectancy is around 40 years.
Humans and baboons
Sadly, many monkeys, including baboons, are easily habituated to humans, losing their natural fear of them. The baboons in Makasutu Forest occasionally run through Mandina causing chaos as they go. The floating lodges, like the one I was staying in, were originally thatched but after the baboons returned to the forest this became less practical as there’s nothing they enjoy more than tearing apart a thatched roof other than maybe nicking your shampoo (which they will then throw away as they quickly realise they can’t eat it). Worse still, once a monkey learns it can take food from a human it sees itself as dominant to them and will always associate humans with food.
When we arrived at Mandina Lodges we were given a few words of warning! “Don’t leave your toiletries out in your open-air bathroom as the baboons might steal them.”
It was worrying how close we were able to walk to the baboons at Makasutu before they moved away. While great for my photography, in the long-term this can only increase the conflict between baboons and humans. I’m pleased to say that the Makasutu baboons didn’t react to our presence in a way that inferred that they associate humans with food. In fact, they pretty much ignored us!
The future of the Makasutu Baboons
The troop of baboons at Makasutu, now numbers around 200, the top end of the range of group numbers found in this species. It will be interesting to see if the troop changes in size over the coming years and whether it remains as a single troop. If the threat from predators is low in the forest then they are more likely to split into two separate groups at some point. Their natural predators include leopards, lions and hyenas. While there are no lions in The Gambia, from what I’ve read, hyenas and occasionally leopards are seen here.
For now, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens!
They certainly were a joy to observe and photograph and whether you are staying at the Mandina Lodges as we were, or visiting for the day, a close encounter with the baboons is virtually guaranteed.
Find out more about a holiday at Mandina Lodges in Makasutu Forest.
“And where do you think you are going to young lady?”
Related articles
Birdwatching in The Gambia – coming soon!
A night on the river in Makasutu Forest
Wildlife in The Gambia
Monkeys at play in a Gambian garden
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Oh too cute! Love that pic of the mother holding the youngster by the tail!!!
They’re little mischieve makers but yes, very cute!
Wonderful post, as always, Kat!! I would dearly love to visit this area – your posts and pics have convinced me it would be a truly amazing experience. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us!
Thanks Deborah! I’m sure you’d love it. Hope you get to see it for yourself one day.
Oh they’re so cute! I’m such a sucker for monkeys, and like you I love how close I can get to photograph them, but it is sad that it might eventually prove harmful. I can’t believe how big these baboons are! Sounds like a wonderful forest experience.
It was indeed wonderful and I’m lucky in that I know people who live in the area. Hopefully they’ll keep me updated on how things develop.
Thanks Kathryn – I’ll keep an eye out 🙂
Lovely photos Kathryn especially the last one. I was surprised to learn how long these baboons live. If/when they split into two different groups would there be any conflict between them I wonder?
Thanks Suzanne. That’s what I was wondering too! I’ll be keeping an eye on them and will update the post or write a follow up if anything interesting develops.
Fantastic photos, Kat! Let’s hope that their population can grow sustainably and that their relationship with humans remains a healthy one. You really make me want to visit this part of the world!
Thanks Jessica. I hope you get to see them for yourself one day.
In case anyone reads this and is interested – we visited in nov 2021 and the baboons are still there and apparently thriving. The troop. Size was estimated at 200 and as much as 400 by some. The behaviours above are still all relevant! It’s sad in a way to see them coming so casually into contact with humans and hard to feel anything but that we are the invaders… but I can see know why we call them a troop, has to be seen to be believed what their group behaviour is like. Utterly captivating to observe.
Thank you so much for the update, Jonathan.
I did go back myself (on my honeymoon) since writing this but that was four years ago now. I do hope I get to go back again one day. Such a magical place.