A Primate’s Memoir by neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky
Audio book!
I am going in reverse!
This should have been the first novel I should have read by Robert!
Then again it dose not matter because it is not in series though many incidents are related to his other novels as well as his lectures!
This one is basically a biography on how he ended up studying and living with Baboons for several years and literally became an expert on the Primate behaviour!
His journey and resilience would put anyone to shame!
From the safe environment of America with a safe job, Robert decides to go halfway across the world to a desolate place where even civilization has not reached to spend time with Baboons!
Then again that is passion! If you do not take the trouble; it does not feel worth your time!
This is an adventure book which details his 20+ years studying wild baboons in Kenya.
He blends wildlife science with local culture. Sapolsky proves that social rank and stress hormones affect primate health and life span.
The book explores both animal behavior and human survival in the bush.
Sapolsky grows up in Brooklyn. He falls in love with the African animal displays at the museum. At age 21, the Harvard graduate leaves the US to study a real baboon troop in Kenya.
He studies how stress causes disease. He tests blood and hormone levels. He learns that a baboon’s place in their social group determines their stress.
The primary finding is that the lower-ranking males actually suffer the highest stress!
The ‘imagination’ or notion that the Males are the king and leaders is thrown into the bin at least when it comes to baboons! The males have come from some other troop and they do not know shit! It is the females who are the most experienced! Even in attack unless it is his own kid which is under attack you may find the male sitting comfortably atop a tree being groomed by the trending female! Food is free for all and all the alpha male does is to roam around, eat, seep and have babies with all the leading ladies! When he is ‘away’ the other males have a go! They constantly try to take over the alpha position though and that is a constant cycle!
The book describes much more than just monkeys. Sapolsky faces extreme isolation. He deals with dangerous wild animals, corrupt park rangers, and kidnappers. He also befriends the local Masai people!
All the while you have civil war going on and the government getting collapsed! People fighting and killing with impunity! If you have money then you are alive! Then you have the tribes who drink cow blood! They also drink the milk occaionally! They also are hunters and do not do anything else! Education is a distant dream and ‘their’ way of life is the way of life!
So you can imagine the state of the author being a vegetarian stuck in a place like this! One fine day he gets a leg of a Zebra as a gift from the rangers who are supposed to protect them! Apparently it was a payment they took for delayed salary!
Naorobi is the city to be if you need anything but simple things like a fridge to a permit takes lots of patience and GREASING! Almost everyone is corrupt and only the degrees vary!
He tries to get close to the troop and even gives them Biblical name in spite of being an atheist!
Then you have the darting and the army ants and the hyena attacks! It is a wild safari all around and you cannot stop to take a nap!
In between he does meet his partner and they share more than food habits and then some!
The final chapter is the tragedy and ends up with hope…
After two decades of bonding with the baboons, a tragic disease strikes! A tuberculosis outbreak kills most of his original baboon troop! How they go the disease? All human of course!
The story is sad and sinister. The Masai tribes rear cows and they have lots but then they are the first to know when the cow is infected with TB. They would then silently take the cow to the hotels and sell the contaminated meat! The meat inspector would be sufficiently bribed and the obviously infected parts would be thrown on to the garbage dump. The other ‘safer’ lookin meat would then be ‘served’ to the guests! The infected meat thrown on the garbage dump would be eaten by the baboons especially the males who are strong and lazy!
They get infected and it spreads like wildfire! Many would die and Robert cannot do anything since they are all well connected and tourism is the chief industry in Kenya! He dreams of doing stuff but they all remain a dream!
I have seen what happens later in his other novel but that is another matter!
Finally the tragedy forces Sapolsky to accept nature’s harsh realities. He transitions from a young, attached field observer to an experienced scientist. He now focuses on the academic side of biology! And talks about the concept of DUNIYA! The world as it is!
With every word you could feel his pain and emotions and this is a treat!
Thank you for doing this Robert…The DUNIYA is a better place because of people like you!
An amazing journey indeed!
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