Almost every day for the past 25 years, the Viramba troop of yellow baboons have been accompanied by scientists in one of the most extensive primate research projects ever conducted.
Researcher Holly Carroll has come to understand the troop, which is controlled by its female members. She discovered that they had established a strict hierarchy in order to keep daily life running smoothly. Kitovu is queen and retains superiority. Old Heshima, humble in her position at the bottom of the ladder, is the guide of the family and leads the troop to the best sources of food and water in the dry season. Young Kibete faces one catastrophe after another with amazing resilience.
Interestingly, female offspring automatically inherit their mother's rank. To see how the young might cope when taking their mothers' places at the top and bottom of the troop, we follow the pregnancies of both Kitovu and Heshima.
Research into the lives of these 'wild women' of Viramba shows that living in a group can work if all members cooperate. Life in Mikumi National Park is certainly not easy but their inherited hierarchy means there is little need for these baboons to fight.
