By Mark McConville
THIS CHEEKY monkey is risking the wrath of his mum after giving her a huge nipple twister.
The amusing pictures show the juvenile Chacma baboon pulling the adult’s nipple far from its chest and giving it a big twist.
Other funny photographs show the baby baboon cuddling up to his mother as he appears to beg for forgiveness and then getting up to more mischief as he tries to hop onto her back.
The side-splitting images were captured at the Shingwedzi riverbed in Kruger National Park, South Africa by production manager John Mullineux (34) from Secunda, South Africa.
“Chacma baboons are not the prettiest of animals, however, they make up for it with personality,” he said.
“There is always some grooming or play-fighting or mating or jumping in trees to watch. In between these more regular activities there are sometimes moments of humour or excitement, in this case a bit of both.
“Most people either laugh or coyly try hiding their amusement. While a baboon can pull on a nipple in the open view of its group, I’m not sure we can.”
The chacma baboon, also known as the Cape baboon, is, like all other baboons, from the Old World monkey family. It is one of the largest of all monkeys.
Located primarily in southern Africa, the chacma baboon has a wide variety of social behaviors, including a dominance hierarchy, collective foraging, adoption of young by females, and friendship pairings. These behaviors form parts of a complex evolutionary ecology.
In general the species is not threatened, but human population pressure has increased contact between humans and baboons. Hunting, accidents, and trapping kill or remove many baboons from the wild. This has reduced baboon numbers and disrupted their social structure.
“Most of my shoots are unplanned, I drive around the African bush with keen eyes and hope,” added John.
“Whatever I see I consider shooting, depending on the light and how interesting it is. Having the right camera equipment, years of practice and skill refinement as well as patience and perseverance make images like these happen.”
