Journal of Animal Diversity

Journal of Animal Diversity

Hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) holding dead kittens as pets/ornaments

Document Type : Short Communication

Authors
Francesco M. Angelici 1 ΒΆ
Mesfer Alhlafi 2
Omar Abunayyan 2
1 UNEP expert, c/o National Center for Wildlife, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; FIZV, Via Adolfo Vigorelli 19, 00144 Rome, Italy
2 National Center for Wildlife, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
10.22034/JAD.2025.7.4.2
Abstract
This note reports for the first time the habit of a male hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas), part of a small introduced colony released into an urban environment in Riyadh, central Saudi Arabia, of continuing to carry dead kittens (Felis catus) for about two days after dead, previously they had apparently been kept as pets. The only partially similar case reported is that of several wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) playing with a western tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax dorsalis), which a female had kept with her for almost a day after its death, before abandoning it.
Keywords
Behavior
commensalism
cross-species interactions
thanatology
urbanization
welfare
Subjects
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