Overview

In a tale that begins at a zoo in Zurich and takes us across the deserts of Ethiopia to the Asir Mountains in Saudi Arabia, Hans Kummer recreates the adventure of the early days of field research on primates. Just as Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey introduced readers to the lives of chimpanzees and gorillas, Kummer brings us face to face with the Hamadryas baboon. With their furry white mantles and gleaming red hindquarters, the Hamadryas appear frequently in the art of the ancient Egyptians - who may have interpreted the baboons' early morning grooming rituals as sun-worshiping rites. Back then, Hamadryas were thought to be incarnates of Thoth, the god of wisdom; today they are considered to have one of the most highly structured social systems among primates, very close, in some respects, to that of humans. In the 1960s, Kummer, after conflicts with nomadic warriors, managed to track down these elusive baboons near the Danakil Desert, and then followed them from dawn to dusk on their treks from one feeding place to another. His scientific account of this period reads like a travel memoir as he describes his encounters with the Hamadryas and the people with whom they share the desert. Winding his way through cliffs and stubble, Kummer records the baboons' social life, from the development of pair relationships to the way an entire group decides where to march each day. Much like the human nomads who cope with the harsh demands of the desert environment, the Hamadryas maintain a society that is strict and patriarchal in its details but multilayered and flexible in its largest units. We learn, for example, of the Hamadryas' respect for possession that protects family structure and of the cohesion among family leaders that lessens the threat of battle. At the same time, clear-cut personalities emerge from Kummer's account, drawing us into the life stories and power struggles of individual baboons.

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A book that encompasses the full body of a remarkable research project. [This] is an extremely satisfying book to read and will appeal to all. It is scientifically valuable, emotionally powerful, and spiritually rejuvenating. --Conrad Brain, New Scientist

A book that encompasses the full body of a remarkable research project. [This] is an extremely satisfying book to read and will appeal to all. It is scientifically valuable, emotionally powerful, and spiritually rejuvenating.

This is a book for everyone. The author describes vividly the burning sands and rugged cliffs of Ethiopia, and the fierce wild people who make their home in the unrelenting desert. There is danger and excitement. And there are the hardy and utterly fascinating baboons, with their red faces and silver mantles, the sacred Hamadryas of ancient Egypt. Kummer's scientific talent for observation, his love for his subjects and his magnificent prose make this a powerful and unforgettable book. For the sake of the Hamadryas baboons, please buy it! --Jane Goodall A book that encompasses the full body of a remarkable research project. [This] is an extremely satisfying book to read and will appeal to all. It is scientifically valuable, emotionally powerful, and spiritually rejuvenating. ---Conrad Brain, New Scientist From the arresting first page of the preface, which takes the reader straight into the bush, to the moving final paragraph that will resonate with long-term field workers, it is compelling. . . . The thoughtful, personal disclosures are uncommonly telling and deserve wide attention. ---W. C. McGrew, Nature Kummer's scientific talent for observation, his love for his subjects, and his magnificent prose make this a powerful and unforgettable book. --Jane Goodall

The days and nights of the hamadryas baboon are recounted in this by turns rigorous and meandering but always entertaining study from Kummer (Ethology/Univ. of Zurich). Back in 1961, Kummer trekked into eastern Ethiopia to study the hamadryas baboon, a creature the Egyptians associated with Thoth, god of scribes and scholars (though Middle Agers thought of the beast as greedy and shameless). Sixteen years later the Ogaden war put the kibosh on his research, but not before he hunted and gathered a basketful of theories underlying the baboon's behavior, and a lifetime of curious experiences afield. Committing his work to the page, Kummer takes the route recently followed by Bimtee Galdikas (Reflections of Eden, 1995) and others - hard science strongly laced with anecdotal glimpses of days in the field (at one point Kummer admits, You are probably wondering, When do they get any work done? We were wondering about that ourselves ); warm, but with an obvious intelligence, a sword with two sharp edges. His fieldwork is dauntingly thorough, something right out of a survival course - tracking the baboons hither and von over the harshest of terrains, forever on his toes to witness their every behavioral quirk. He takes the time to chew over both his own and other ethological and sociobiological theories: family life and decision processes, the anatomy of social organizations, ecological programs, when guile is an asset, when not . . . right down to the interpretation of gestures. Then he will spin a yarn with delightful ease - particularly the tale of the monk, the silver ball, and the six glasses of water - or with equal facility conjure a sense of place: The wet dust smells of freshly washed linen. Kummer has smartly etched his name in what is fast becoming a worthy tradition - stylish writing that twines field research with campfire tale. (Kirkus Reviews)

This is a book for everyone. The author describes vividly the burning sands and rugged cliffs of Ethiopia, and the fierce wild people who make their home in the unrelenting desert. There is danger and excitement. And there are the hardy and utterly fascinating baboons, with their red faces and silver mantles, the sacred Hamadryas of ancient Egypt. Kummer's scientific talent for observation, his love for his subjects and his magnificent prose make this a powerful and unforgettable book. For the sake of the Hamadryas baboons, please buy it!--Jane Goodall Kummer's scientific talent for observation, his love for his subjects, and his magnificent prose make this a powerful and unforgettable book. --Jane Goodall A book that encompasses the full body of a remarkable research project. [This] is an extremely satisfying book to read and will appeal to all. It is scientifically valuable, emotionally powerful, and spiritually rejuvenating.---Conrad Brain, New Scientist From the arresting first page of the preface, which takes the reader straight into the bush, to the moving final paragraph that will resonate with long-term field workers, it is compelling. . . . The thoughtful, personal disclosures are uncommonly telling and deserve wide attention.---W. C. McGrew, Nature

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