Day in the Life Part 4
Distracted by the fur-rubbing frenzy, we have missed Drogon’s departure. But although he has not brought Pelon group on his heels this time, trouble is not far away. At 2:18 pm, the monkeys suddenly tense again, and the females crouch down to invite their babies onto their backs. Mikumi stands on his hind legs, looking warily into the distance. He purses his lips in a “duck face”—the expression used both to court females and to negotiate with rivals. We wait expectantly for an enemy male to appear. Finally a monkey does emerge from the trees in front of us—but it is only Celeste, striding confidently back towards the group as if nothing is wrong. Could the group have mistaken their own alpha female for an enemy male? It is all very strange. Bedlam (standing upright) and a mother and baby scan for pursuers. Photo: K. Perry. At 2:47, as Susan is starting a focal follow of Celeste, the same thing happens again: everyone tenses, mothers retrieve their babies, and most of the gro
