It is common to see goats and ponies partnered with horses for simple camaraderie or to help ease equine anxiousness. Most would probably think that baboons would not make a good chum for a horse, but, apparently, that is not entirely accurate.
Barcroft Media has shown that horses and baboons are not just able to live ceremoniously, but also symbiotically, in recent footage recorded at the Eden Monkeyland and Birds of Eden sanctuary, located near Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape, South Africa.
The scenes of peaceful co-habitation at the animal sanctuary, which is the world’s largest, was captured in part by 55-year-old Claire Hamilton. The horse in question is ‘Jericho,’ who was described as docile, old and friendly.
Hamilton explained that Jericho would sometimes relax after feeding, and would lay down and take a load off on occasion.
“The baboons and the horses feed together at the compost heap when the compost is dumped in the morning,” said Hamilton, who added that the baboons and horses know when they are to be fed, so they all gather at the heap.
She explained that the baboons got intrigued when Jericho would lay down after feeding. The baboons eventually got brave enough to sit on him and even groom him, which is a sign of acceptance into the group.
“There would be a group of about seven baboons that would play around him and sit on his back,” said Hamilton.
According to Hamilton, Jericho would allow the baboons to somersault off of his back like it was a trampoline.
(With files from Barcroft Media)
