Animal Oddity: Baboons Kidnap Puppies to Raise Them as Family Pets

August 27, 2015
By First to Know

Warning: The beginning of this video might be a little difficult for some folks to watch.

While watching the British nature series called Animals Like Us, we came across something that we’ve never seen before. We saw dogs being raised by baboons for companionship and protection.

Before watching the video, we believed that humans were the only species that kept animals as pets.

In a garbage dump outside Ta’if, Saudi Arabia, there are troops of Hamadryas baboons that kidnap feral puppies and begin raising the dogs as part of their family. They groom the dogs, make sure they are fed, travel with, and even share their sleeping space.

The narrator in the video explains that the relationship is symbiotic in nature. The domesticated feral dogs keep wild dog packs away from the baboon family and in return, they are treated with love and care just like humans would a family pet.

We also read somewhere that baboons are known to kidnap kittens, though we were unable to find a video clip documenting this.

http://firsttoknow.com/animal-oddity-baboons-kidnap-puppies-to-raise-them-as-family-pets/