Chacma Baboons (Papio ursinus) are the largest non-human primates in southern Africa. They are highly gregarious, social animals that live in troops of about 15 to 100. All males of breeding age are dominant over females, but males have a strict rank order within the troop. Female Baboons give birth to a single baby with black hair and a pink face that clings to her chest when she moves. Older young ride like jockeys on their mother’s back.

Females with young remain close to the dominant male, probably for protection, while non-breeding females associate with subordinate males. Female baboons have their own dominance hierarchy and often form ‘friendships’ with other females.

Baboon behaviour is very complex and includes grooming each other’s fur, group foraging, playing in groups of young of mixed ages, attempted abduction of babies by females without their own offspring, adoption of orphaned infants and short but noisy fights. This sequence of clips of baboon family life was shot near the entrance of the Shingwedzi Restcamp in Kruger Park.