Baboons are born after a gestation period of six months, and are carefully cared for by their mothers, which can be seen in the top left photo of the little duo close to mom. Although other females in the troop like to play with the infant, the mother will only allow them to hold it once it has learned to walk. Our guide said that when an adult male is threatened by dominant males, he will often grab an infant from any female in the troop, which successfully foils the attack. Young vervet monkeys like the one at bottom right sunning himself on a bridge are born mainly from October to January after a gestation period of 140 days. As they share the riverine forest with a host of birds, including one of their major predators – the crowned eagle – young monkeys must quickly learn to distinguish between dangerous and harmless birds. We watched one vervet torment the manager of an outdoor bar at the hotel fronting on the park until the man's face grew set and hard and he began stalking the patio area, red-faced and sweating, with a slingshot in his hand and murder in his eye. While it was understandable that the potential for injury to a guest would be any establishment's greatest and justifiable fear, it was also clear that it was quite the game for the vervet, who would preen and chitter as its actions sparked laughter from the small crowd.

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