It's Just Horseplay For These Pesky Primates

The troop of baboons groomed the four-legged creature like it was one of their own and even jumped and somersaulted off the horse’s back like it was a trampoline.

Docile Jericho welcomed the unlikely attention and allowed the apes to play without complaint.

The bizarre scenes unfolded at the Eden Monkeyland and Birds of Eden near Plettenberg Bay, in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Brit Claire Hamilton, 55, captured the unlikely friendship between the old horse and the wild baboons.

She said: “The baboons and the horses feed together at the compost heap when the compost is dumped in the morning.

“They all know when to expect it and so gather there.

“After feeding Jericho, they would sometimes lie down which caused curiosity in the baboons.

“Jericho is quite old, although I am unsure of his exact age. He is a very friendly and docile character.

“The baboons discovered that Jericho was not particularly adverse to them grooming him and sitting on him.

“There would be a group of about seven baboons that would play around him and sit on his back.

“Baboons are inquisitive and playful, but any movement from the horse will make them back off.”