The leg of
our trip sent us to Ethiopia, where we took a quick detour to the Simien
Mountains, full of deep gorges and intricate mazes of canyons. The mountains
are home to the gelada, sometimes called bleeding heart baboons because of a
red patch on the chest of the males. (They are actually not baboons, though
they are closely related.) They live exclusively on the short, tough grasses
that grow on the Simiens’ slopes.
I guess the
gelada are so used to visitors that they hardly notice people anymore. They
move in large bands from one patch of grass to another, and you can walk
alongside the group and watch a complete range of social behavior unfold right
in front of you. You can see the delicate dance between male and female that
defines their social structure, and watch the alpha males defend their
territory and their harem from aggressors.
On my last
morning there, I found one band grazing in a small field of grass near a cliff
edge. After watching for about an hour in the field, I wandered over to the
edge of the cliff and sat down to take in the view. Within about 20 minutes,
the entire band of geladas had shifted positions and encircled me. It was as if
I was just a part of the landscape.
by: DAMON WINTER
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