May 23, 2008 - Journal Entry 1

"It's 7:00 AM. I made it through my first day, and I'm hopeful. I do actually like it here. It's peaceful and there's plenty of time for reflection. So here goes...

Reflections on yesterday:

1) Baboons stink. A lot. The smell of the zoo is delicious compared to this.

2) Baby baboons are like two year old human children with the strength of...well a baboon. They get into everything that you don't want them to. They hit, bite, pull hair and pick at your face. When they are in a big group, they gang up on you. If one is jumping on your head, they all are. If one sits on your lap, they all do. If one is mad at you, they all are. If you're giving one of them attention, they all want your attention.

3) Baboons can be very sweet when they want to be. And they're cute...when they're asleep.

4) I think I would enjoy being in the play rooms more if I wasn't constantly worrying about where Jasper was.

"Surprisingly, I do actually think that he likes me. When I first went back in the nursery yesterday afternoon, he didn't bite me at all for the first half hour. Instead, he sat on my lap (and head) and groomed me and even lip smacked me (that's like a baboon kiss/greeting). He even seemed to get jealous when the other babies tried to sit on my lap. He would bite them and chase them away (unfortunately). Did I mention that he is overly aggressive with the other babies as well as with people? And when I tried to get up to move out of the way of the girls who were cleaning, he bit my leg for the first time that shift. So I guess I am starting to understand Jaspers poor communication skills. He bit me because he didn't want me to leave him. He was afterall abandoned by the people who had kept him as a pet. On the other hand, understanding his motives doesn't excuse his behavior.

"After that first bite, it all went downhill. He would come up to me and lipsmack me and then all of a sudden start biting me - hard. His bites aren't playful nips like most of the babies, he attacks. Luckily their adult canines haven't come in yet. But he has a full set of teeth like a person and he leaves pretty bad bruises. My other problem with the baby hoks (an Afrikaans word for cage, I think) is my hair. Whenever I sit in there, the babies swing from it and pull it really hard. And it gets so dirty. Okay, time to get out of bed, eat, be social, etcetera.