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They can open car doors.
I have never thought much about baboons until I came to South Africa. The phrases that came to mind were, “Crazy as a baboon,” “Ugly as a baboon,” and for some reason the lyrics to “Bingo, Bango, Bongo, I don’t want to leave the Congo.” But baboons are serious business here. Because man has expanded his environment into the territory that was the baboons, the baboons have not moved, they’ve adapted. They have learned that it is much easier to steal a sandwich than it is to hunt for food in the wild.
There are baboon stories every where. People tell other people about the latest home invasion. The little local newspaper had a list of what not to do if you confront a baboon. This includes no eye contact, do not chase them, do not try to wrestle food or a purse away from them, when you see them in the road lock your doors and windows. This last one is a bit dated as baboons have learned how to open car doors. If a window is open, they reach in to grab whatever they can, food, a purse, a backpack. Parents of small children must be especially vigilant as these primates will jump on a child and may bite. Dogs and cats are also susceptable to baboon aggression.
All in all, if we ever wondered whether this was a jungle, the baboons remind you. Groucho Marx thought they were funny but he was from New York.
MedFlies 