The socio-spatial organization of Baboon (Papio cynocephalus) progressions at Mikumi National Park, Tanzania,

Abstract

In the pioneer research of Washburn and Devore, the socio-spatial organization of moving baboon progressions was thought to serve a protective function. The large, powerful adult males provided an outer nng and an inner core of protection to centrally located, vulnerable young. A senes of studies conducted at Mikumi National Park has been aimed at evaluating a modified form of the protection theory. In the present paper, the Mikumi findings are reviewed, supplemented, and placed in the context of related research from other baboon field sites. The Mikumi data diverged somewhat from those of early reports, but they were consistent with the modified theory and with main themes of the original protection theory.