To discover how baboons succeed in their society, BABOON TALES follows the real life adventures of five infants navigating their first year of a decade-long journey to adulthood, as the troop adapts to drought in East Africa.

"Understanding nature on its own terms is the challenge of the 21st century," says Dr. Strum in the outstanding teacher's guide she has written to accompany the video.



Grade Level: 5-12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 1998     Copyright Date: 1998
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-436-2     VHS ISBN: 1-56029-775-1

Reviews "A beautifully filmed documentary with a story that is at once highly informative and emotionally compelling...The film bears the unique stamp of Dr. Strum's commitment and perspective gained during several decades of experience living and conducting research in Kenya." Jeanne Altmann, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University. "Why read Dr. Spock when you can get all the parenting tips you need from imitating the primates in BABOON TALES?" The Hollywood Reporter "Viewers are taken directly into the " roop" of baboons, yet the camera isn't invasive in recording subtle expressions and gestures - a testament to the [filmmakers'] professionalism." The Tampa Tribune "[In] many wildlife documentaries...every 15 minutes there seems to be a life-and-death chase and a bloody kill. BABOON TALES offers something different. Different and estimable and fascinating." Vue, New York Daily News "An engaging portrait of creatures who, in many ways, are much like ourselves (butts notwithstanding). Recommended" Video Librarian "Shows clear, concrete examples of many topics covered in comparative psychology courses, including social interaction, dominance hierarchies, socialization of young in species with a social living structure, juvenile apprenticeships, modulation of aggression, conflict and reconciliation, maintenance of social relationships, social alliances, temperament, maternal derivation of initial rank, and changes in social status with maturation...makes the harsh realities of life very