In Zambia, we’re right at the end of the dry season, there’s not a blade of grass anywhere and many animals are choosing to rest and conserve energy rather than expend effort searching for the very small amount of remaining sustenance.
But in the last week or so, the Wild Mango trees have come into fruit. Not a moment too early for the elephants who gorge themselves on the soft, sweet fruits, and often fight with other herds to keep a good tree to themselves. However, often they need the help of the baboons to drop the fruits onto the ground where they are more easily accessed. The baboons are happy to oblige, dropping their discarded fruits to the ground for the hungry giants. The baboons always keep a wary eye on the elephants, because when the food on the ground dries up, the elephants start to shake the tree to knock more down and the baboons need to be ready to “HOLD ON TIGHT!”
Here a troop of baboons feast on the abundant fruit on the ground before the elephants reach the tree.
