Monkey Tales

We thought it was time to share a few monkey stories, for your enjoyment and so we don’t forget all the lessons we have learned along the way.

We had been in Kijabe about a week, and one beautiful afternoon, a group of about 15 monkeys came jumping from tree to tree in our front yard. The dogs were going wild, we were amazed just watching them, the boys were so excited to see so many up close. The trees are used to carry electrical wires from place to place (especially around the houses). We watched in wonder as the Sykes monkeys walked so quickly and easily across the wires from a large tree in the corner of our yard all the way to our roof. I had to run into the house to grab something for the kids and noticed our beautiful bunch of bananas had some peels that had been shredded and scattered on the counter. Thinking, “Wow, the boys must have really been hungry,” I grabbed what I needed and ran back outside to watch the show. Less than two minutes later, Henry saw a monkey eating bananas up in the tree tops. My thought process went like this: “That’s so funny seeing monkeys eating bananas, they actually do love them! Wait…where did it get a banana? Uh-oh. There’s another one with a banana…” Just then, we saw one leaping out our kitchen window back into the trees, banana in hand. “Monkeys are in the house!” was quickly exclaimed by all as we dashed in to shut the kitchen window tight. Our gardener got quite the chuckle as he saw our reactions and we learned to never leave the kitchen window open unless someone is there to guard it. And, indeed, monkeys do love bananas.

Fast forward a few months (to April) and we learned another lesson. Usually, monkeys will stick in groups so it’s pretty obvious when they come and go. However, sometimes you will get the loner who can be very bold. It was just after lunch time and I was putting Grace down for her nap. The boys were sitting at the kitchen table finishing their lunch and listening to an audio book. Our house helpers were in the kitchen. As I’m reading Grace her books, I hear a pitter-patter of feet above me in the boys’ bedroom. A bit confused, I assume Owen must have run upstairs to get something and would be right back down. The noise continues for a couple of minutes, and by the time I lay Grace down and come out of her bedroom, there is obviously something happening upstairs. I am surprised to see both the boys still sitting at the table listening to their book and head to the kitchen. One of our house helpers is missing and I hear the story… A lone monkey had torn the screen down in the boys’ bedroom and come straight in their window. He had looked around their room for something to eat, and when he realized there was nothing there, started down the steps to see what was cooking in the kitchen. He reached the bottom steps and locked eyes with our helpers, realizing the mistake he made. Our helper chased him right back up the stairs and out the window again, making sure to lock it behind him. We try to keep the windows upstairs cracked open in the afternoons to cool off the house. It’s a blessing to be able to regulate the temperature by just keeping the windows open; we haven’t missed central heating/AC. The boys and I had a project that afternoon creating a metal, mesh grate that we securely fastened to their window so our curious friend can’t get back in again and we can keep the temperature just right in the house. 

Meeting a baboon troop can be a little more daunting as we realized about a month after we arrived. The baboons aren’t afraid of women and children so you have to either keep your distance or be ready to give them a reason to fear you. Bryce had just gotten back from a walk to the duka and told us there were two baboons sitting on the edge of the road. The rest of us hadn’t seen a baboon yet, so the boys and I threw on our shoes to go see for ourselves. By the time we got to the road, we saw the two male baboons, but they were leading a huge troop with a dozen adult baboons and babies of all ages. At the end of the line was the largest male baboon. When he started walking towards us instead of continuing down the road, the boys and I gave him some space and they went on their way. Needless to say, we are very grateful to have a couple of large dogs who keep the baboons off the property so we don’t have to kick them out of the house, too.

You can watch clips of the baboons walking by below. They like to walk along this street right behind our house.

I’m sure we will have many more stories to tell with our new, furry neighbors. Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoyed!