Photo Gallery Apathetic Apes
Zookeepers in the Netherlands are scratching their heads at the strange behavior of an entire colony of 112 baboons which have sunken into a collective depression, sitting motionless and apathetic, not fighting or grooming each other and not even eating apples, their favorite food.
The strange behavior started last Monday when something spooked the baboons and they became hysterical. It appears to have traumatized them. On Tuesday and Wednesday, they sat in a tree and refused to come down while another group sat on an exposed part of the island in the burning sun.
"They didn't even come when the keeper brought them apples. Normally they'd beat Usain Bolt when we bring them apples," said a zoo spokesman, Wijbren Landman.
They've had their backs turned to zoo visitors, as if they're on strike.
There are a number of theories about the possible causes. Some speculate that the monkeys might have seen a ghost or a UFO. Others say earth tremors could have spooked them -- Emmen occasionally has weak earthquakes, but none was recorded last week. Another theory is that someone in the audience might have worn a T-shirt with a picture of a lion on it. But if that were the case, the animals would constantly be going nuts.
Emmen's baboons had similar fits of sudden apathy in 1994, 1997 and 2007, said Landman. "In 2007 they were all looking in the same direction. It wasn't like that this time," said the spokesman. Whatever it was, Emmen's baboons are starting to overcome their trauma. "They are searching for food again and some youngsters are being punished by the older ones for indecent behavior. It's their normal activity."
