Locked In A Car With A Wild Baboon

Jay Jean Jackson
Sep 1
5 min read

The journey from Cape Town to Cape Point is a beautiful one, the scenery is spectacular as we wind our way along the coastal path on roads that have been carved out of the cliff. This country is certainly one of outstanding natural beauty the landscape so dramatic with rugged mountains and vast oceans and of course it's full amazing wildlife and that is the main reason why we are here. Wildlife is my biggest passion, my greatest hobby and I feel like an excited child as we near our destination.

We arrive at Cape point and sit in a cafe for a much needed coffee break after the journey and as soon as we sit down I heard a scream behind me. I turn around to see a near hysterical woman shouting in a foreign language, my husband is laughing but I had no idea what was going on. What happened I ask him, he told me that a baboon had jumped down onto the table and stolen the woman's sandwich. It all happened in a split second and I had missed it! Where did he go I asked, grabbing my camera as I always did if there was any change of capturing a wildlife photo. Up there somewhere he pointed but have your coffee first I am sure there will be more. I couldn't wait, it could be my only chance of seeing a wild baboon but I was too late, the baboon disappeared as fast as he had arrived, with his ill gotten gains.

We make our way down to Cape Point a place where two oceans collide, the Indian and the Atlantic it's so beautiful here the oceans are different shades of rich cobalt blue, crashing together as they meet creating a maelstrom. The cool breeze soothes the soaring temperatures like a balm. We make our way to where we see many other cars parked and there we see them, troops of baboons! Some run around playing, chasing each other, so comical and all so human like, its similar to watching naughty children playing. A huge male baboon sat next to a car with what looked like his packed lunch. Well it was his now but I was sure he had procured it from some unsuspecting tourist. He suspiciously eyed the gathering crowd, all wanting photographs, whilst chomping on his banana and trying to stop an apple from rolling away from him with his feet. I was amazed how dexterous he was, using his hands in exactly the same way as a human would.

He suddenly seemed slightly agitated and gathering the remains of his lunch jumped onto the car roof. He wasn't going to let anyone steal his lunch, not that I think anyone would try. Baboons are three times stronger than even the strongest of men! Within a minute he had finished it all and was off in pursuit of more food, not wasting a second as an unsuspecting Japanese tourist pulled up and made the fatal mistake of leaving his car door open. The baboon was in the car in a flash, the Japanese tourist was not impressed as the baboon unpacked every bag he could lay his hands on. The tourist was screaming at him and tried hitting him with a stick to get him out of his car, I shouted at him to stop but he didn't understand English, I was appalled by the mans behaviour and concerned not only for the baboon but for the many tourists that were around. This was a huge wild animal, I would dread to think what damage he could do if he was aggrieved. I suggested we left I didn't think it was a good idea to hang around with an angry wild baboon on the loose.

We returned to the car checking around us before we opened the doors, we didn't want a wild baboon in our car. Safely in the car with the doors locked I looked out to sea and saw a flock of wild birds, I didn't know what they were so my partner decided to get the binoculars out of the boot. No sooner had he got out of the car I saw the baboon coming back so I lent across and pressed the button, which was on the drivers side of the car, to re-lock the doors. Ha ha Mr baboon I thought, you are not getting into this car but I was wrong, he simply walked up to the back door opened it and got in. I was dumbfounded, I couldn't understand how he had opened the door, my heart pounded in my chest and in a state of panic I repressed the button but it was too late, the baboon was in the back of the car and as I tried to open the door to get out I realised I was now locked in the front!

The baboon proceed to unpack a shopping bag which contained my partner's new Merrill trainers, he pulled them out and held them high in the air as if to survey them, it seemed as if he was assessing them for edibility but quickly decided they didn't look very appetising and dropped them onto the back seat, much to my partner's relief I might add. Whilst he seemed preoccupied I lent across and pressed the button again, I was willing myself to stay calm, to not panic, I didn't want to make any sudden movements, I had to stay calm, so I slowly lent across, click! I eyed the baboon hoping the noise was not going to distress him, he eyed me suspiciously as I tried the door once again but to my dismay I was still locked in. My partner was visibly shaking and was screaming at me to get out of the car, I can't! I mouthed back. He tried the door from the outside to no avail.

The baboon then lifted the felt cover and looked in the boot, espying our back pack, the felt shelf dropped back so he simply raised his hands and in a simple movement stove it into the boot. He then gabbed the bag and simply unzipped it as easily as any person would and looked inside. I watched him with a mixture of curiosity and fear, I had to get out of here, as much as I wanted to see baboons I never expected, nor wanted to end up quite this close and personal with one. I made another attempt to escape, this time I was lucky I had managed to hit the right button and as I opened the door, I breathed a sigh of relief as I climbed out. Phew!

The baboon having found nothing in our backpack of interest, jumped into the passenger seat where, mere seconds before, I had been sitting and having had a good look around and a play with with gear stick decided to leave in pursuit of a tourist bus that had just arrived.

I later asked my partner why he had shouted for me to get out of the car, did you not think I wanted to get out, I asked? No he replied I knew how much you wanted to see baboons and you seemed to be perfectly happy sitting in the car with one!