A friendship that will melt your heart

Thabazimbi – There is something about unlikely animal friendships that tug at the heartstrings.

A community member recently shared the story of a strange but beautiful relationship between a troop of baboons and their adopted dog, with the Platinum Bushvelder.

For a few months now, the baboons rummage through garbage and share their loot with a dog they have adopted about a year ago.

There has even been a sighting were one of the baboons grabbed the dog, put it under its arm and kept it safe while climbing up to the roof of the old Kumba building. You would think that the dog would be terrified, but it apparently remained completely calm, almost as if it was used to it. When feeling threatened, the baboons gather around the dog as if to protect it – even against other baboon troops.

The troop usually shows up on Tuesdays or ‘garbage day’ in Jourdan Street, near Advanced College and the old Kumba building. What a sight to behold. The dog clearly feels comfortable and interacts with his baboon family.

Platinum Bushvelder spoke to a few local professionals.

Marakele National Park conservation manager Tshifhiwa Mauda was surprised:

“I have seen a lion trying to protect a buck, but I’ve never seen anything like this. A baboon’s natural instinct should be to attack the dog.” 

Medivet Dierekliniek owner and vet Louis Greef said that it’s not normal behaviour for baboons and advises that the dog be removed for its own safety as it could easily be attacked or fall to its death.

However, Kransberg Dierekliniek’s vet Mari Naude says that this is not the first time she has heard about a baboon/dog family: “Baboons do adopt dogs. They feed and groom them but usually adopt dogs as puppies. The dogs then migrate with the pact.” 

Despite some warnings several community members are chuffed about the baboon/dog family. “The baboons take better care of the dog than some humans would. I understand the dangers, but it just breaks my heart to think that the dog might have to be removed or placed in a cage at an overcrowded shelter, hoping to be adopted someday.”

While doing research for this article, Platinum Bushvelder came across a video where baboons kidnapped a puppy. It looked like it treated the puppy very harshly during the kidnapping.

The way the baboons treated the puppy was extremely upsetting to people, but the baboons soon accepted the puppy into the troop, where it was groomed, fed and protected. Below the article a reader commented: “It’s hard to watch, but it’s life… And the baboon doesn’t know any better, humans do.”

Photo: The troop with their ‘adopted’ companion.

#FosteringASenseOfCommunity