Victoria Falls Baboons
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In these strange days of restricted travel, I thought it might be appropriate to pen an occasional piece on some international locations I have visited with my usual emphasis on nature where appropriate.
Several paths lead out from the back of the
Victoria Falls Hotel . One goes to the falls while the others snake through the bush surrounding this lovely old institution.
Despite the proximity of human habitation, there is no shortage of game along these trails. Elephant, giraffe, warthogs and numerous antelope species are common as are the wide variety of birds from hornbills to birds of prey.
My walk leads me towards the falls alongside quite a steep valley. I have taken an experienced staff member with me as there is always safety in numbers and wild animals are not the only threat that a tourist carrying expensive camera gear might encounter.
About a kilometre from the hotel's boundary fence, we encounter a troop of
Chacma Baboons . It included adult males and females, juveniles and several babies. This is the ideal opportunity to sit and watch the kinds of primate behaviour that one reads about or sees glimpses of in zoos and wildlife parks.
We watch the troop for around half an hour observing a wide range of behaviours including dominant and submissive poses, a variety of facial expressions, grooming and pseudo-sexual interactions between both sexes. It is a real lesson in wildlife behaviour in the most wonderful of surroundings with the mist and thunder of the falls in the background.
Therefore, when the threat of disease no longer hangs over us and Africa is once again accessible; take a trip to
Victoria Falls for your first taste of this fascinating continent.
#animals_wildlife
#high_tea
#near_victoria_falls
#travel
#walks
%wnvictoriafalls
79721 - 2023-06-11 05:20:20