Can Men and Women (Baboons) Really Just Be Friends? | The Best Bear Deterrent May Be Drones

8 snips

Feb 19, 2025

In this conversation, Dr. Anna Weyher, the founder of the Kasanka Baboon Project in Zambia, shares insights into the social dynamics of Kinda baboons. She reveals how male and female baboons form lasting friendships, challenging traditional views on gender relationships. Anna discusses the meticulous process of building trust with these primates and how their social behaviors may inform human relationships. The talk also shifts focus to innovative strategies for managing grizzly bears, including the use of drones to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Baboons' Unique Friendships

Kinda baboons, unlike other baboons, form unique male-female friendships beyond mating.
Males initiate these bonds, potentially offering females more mate choice.

INSIGHT

Origins of Baboon Behavior

Kinda baboons' behavior might be the original baboon behavior, challenging aggression assumptions.
Males invest long-term in female friendships for mating access, not through fighting.

ANECDOTE

Grooming and Social Bonds

The male-female friendship dynamic in Kinda baboons mirrors the plot of "When Harry Met Sally".
Grooming, like human conversation, strengthens social bonds and reduces stress in primates.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Can Men and Women (Baboons) Really Just Be Friends?

In the romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally,” the central premise, as Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan’s characters stay friends throughout the years, is, can men and women really just be friends?

In the movie, the answer is no, not really. Spoiler alert: They do get together in the end. But what if we take that concept and bring it to the animal kingdom, specifically to primates?

The Kinda baboon is known for its distinct social behaviors. Individuals form long-term, social bonds, and those relationships are seen, uniquely, between male and female baboons. Over nine years, researchers studied the Kinda baboon, a kinder, gentler species of baboon, to learn more about their social lives. Kindas are unique among baboons because they’re the least sexually dimorphic: males and females are close to the same size, making them a better analog for us humans.

So can male and female baboons really be just friends? Much like the movie, long friendships do happen between Kindas—but there also appears to be a benefit during mating season.

Joining Host Flora Lichtman to talk about her work with these baboons is Dr. Anna Weyher, founder of the Kasanka Baboon Project in Zambia. Weyher has studied Kinda baboons for over a decade.

The Best Bear Deterrent May Be Drones

What do you do when a bear keeps coming too close to people, and doesn’t take the hint to stay away? It’s a serious problem, because human-wildlife conflict can be dangerous for both the people and animals involved. Wildlife managers have for years used a collection of deterrents, including firecracker noises, rubber bullets, and trained dogs, to try to chase bears away from human habitations.

Writing in the journal Frontiers in Conservation Science, former Montana bear management specialist Wesley Sarmento claims that a high-tech approach may be more effective: drones. Sarmento joins Host Flora Lichtman to discuss his experiences with hazing stubborn bears.

Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.

Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.