Self-assured baboon takes a seat and holds up traffic

Baboons are highly intelligent animals, full of mischief and tricks. Without a doubt, they know what they are doing. So when this cocky monkey swaggered out on the road and calmly took a seat right in the middle, he understood that there were cars coming his way. He didn't seem to care that he was in the way as he walked. And he didn't seem to care that he was blocking the whoole road.
Without much of a concerned look, the baboon sat down and stared straight ahead as if he refused to even acknowledge the car that just went by or the car that was inching forward. Eventually, he gave a slight look to his left, but rather than looking to see if he needs to move, his look seems to be more about checking to see if people in the car are paying enough attention to him.Show more

Even as the car with the camera inches forward, the baboon continues to look to his right and straight ahead, completely ignoring the car. He looks everywhere except at the car. The car was travelling through a safari where the baboons and other animals roam free, protected from poachers and even other predators. This monkey's antics were not annoying in the slightest and the occupants were actually delighted to get such a close look at the animal. They were quite content to watch photograph him, amused at the near human-like behavior and attitude. The baboon likely understood as well that sitting in the road like this would possibly provide him with some entertainment of his own. In a safari situation where spectators are confined in the car and the animals roam free, the effect is reversed. For the baboon, he was seeing people in confinement while he enjoyed the freedom.

Baboons are highly social animals with a need for a large, natural environment and lots of space. To confine them to cages in zoos, with very few of their own kind to interact with is far from ideal. Most animals experience great stress when food is provided in a setting that forces them to compete with animals to eat quickly or miss out. These baboons are free to eat whenever they chose without competition.

Safaris like this one allow visitors to see animals in their natural environment. Funding from visitors is also used to assist with conservation efforts that benefit animals in the wild.