Susan Alberts (Chicago, 1959), biologist and primatologist, has focused her research on mammals and especially on baboons. And for these big primates, he has obtained the Fundació BBVA Fronteres del Coneixement prize in conservation ecology and biology.
What stands out about your work?
The most important thing I learned is that there are several aspects of our behavior, which we tend to think are unique and inherent to humans, we actually observe in our evolutionary roots, because we find these aspects in non-human animals as well .
Are you surprised by the similarity between humans and baboons?
Human beings are primates. We are not direct descendants of a baboon, but we have the same evolutionary origins; and these evolutionary origins have given us many of the tools and features we use in our lives.
Can you give me an example?
Human beings have been known for decades that individuals with stronger social ties live longer and healthier lives. And it turns out that this is also true for baboons and other social animals. The tendency of humans to be social holds true for the entire primate lineage. Ecclesiastes has a saying: “A friend with faith is the medicine of life”.
Do male baboons care for their young more than male humans care for their children?
In most mammals we see that men do not play a large role in caregiving. In the case of baboons, and this is interesting, when she conceives a young, the female has generally mated with several males; and yet the males can make a distinction and know which are their young, and give them preferential attention.
Are they better parents than humans?
In general, male baboons do not care for their young as much as humans do. They care less. Human parents are fabulous! My father was a great father. I love my father more than a baboon’s father, that’s for sure, ha ha…
Are baboons changing their behavior due to changes in their environment?
Yes, we are seeing very dramatic changes in their behavior. And they are changes caused by human beings. The human population has grown, there are more livestock in their habitats. Climate change is also taking place and is making the areas we study more arid, with less rainfall. They have to learn to look for other foods. I have seen it in their habitats in Kenya, and all originated by man.
How has it changed?
To protect the elephants, threatened by hunters, the Government of Kenya has created a natural park where the elephants are safe. But this leads to large concentrations of elephants in the park, destroying trees and changing the habitats of baboons. But the ultimate responsibility lies with human beings.
What else do they have to adapt to?
In droughts, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change, something that happens all over the world. They are learning to tolerate a previously unknown drought.
What is the role of females in the group?
Female baboons live in the same group in which they are born all their lives. So as life goes on and the young grow up, your family is going through a very complex social and reproductive landscape, because you have young, each one has different needs. A typical female will lose between 10% and 15% of her young to natural abortions, and then the same percentage of young to predators, accidents or disease. They face this great challenge constantly.
Who?
May their offspring reach adulthood. If the female hatchling survives, in adulthood she is a friend for life. However, if the male offspring survives, it will go to another group. The social structure of baboons is matrilineal. Females organize themselves in groups of females, and males have their friends and come from other groups.
Are baboons in danger as a species?
No. They are in the “less vulnerable” category. But as the human population increases, so does the frequency of conflict. There are areas of Africa where all baboons are in conflict with humans. And that makes them vulnerable. The basis of the resources they use to feed themselves is altered, and this changes their social structure
What dangers would you highlight?
The humans Baboons go around houses looting human resources, their crops, their garbage. And the response of the humans is to want to chase them, to kill them.
What strategy should be taken into account to protect them?
They are causing damage to their population and their natural behavior. That is why we must have protected areas that have the support of local communities. The population around those protected areas must be in agreement with the protection measures, so that it is stable. Efforts, a lot of vigilance and resources are required. The problem is that sometimes we don’t want to put in that effort and those resources.
Do baboons suffer from human slavery?
No, although in some places baboons are sometimes captured for use as pets. Another danger is the meat trade. It’s illegal in most countries, but when it’s a cultural tradition it’s hard to tell people not to eat it.
