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I'm Bill Bailey and I'm in Cape Town

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to introduce you to three
unique families of baboons.

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The Smitz troop - where boys behave badly...

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..the rustic rascals, the Tokai troop...

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..and, finally, the urbanites of Da Gama.

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We're going inside the troop,
giving us a unique chance

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to follow the highs and
lows of family life...

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..and some of the challenges
that man and beast face

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living cheek by jowl.

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This time, the Smitz
troop are hoping for

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(GEORDIE ACCENT) a little fishy
when the boat comes in.

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And in the Tokai Forest,
it's the baboon gymnastics.

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There's more rivalry, politics
and casual violence

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than a British provincial town.

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Life's not easy...being a baboon.

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As the countryside becomes
more and more developed,

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it's inevitable that wildlife
will have to live alongside us.

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Some species won't be able to adapt.

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But given half a chance, many will.

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Like the baboons.

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They're very quick thinking
and creative

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when it comes to exploiting
their human neighbours.

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But with a bit of sensitivity
and some tolerance,

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life for both species
could be a lot happier.

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Living alongside us can be tough,

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but our urban warriors
are pretty good at getting by.

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As the sun rises on South Africa's
southern peninsula,

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the lay-bys and verges
on the coastal road

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that runs south from Cape Town

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seem unusually quiet.

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Most days, the Smitz troop are found here,

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rifling through parked
cars for a sandwich

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while tourists watch the whales.

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But today those sarnies
may lie undisturbed.

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This is Fred, the troop's alpha male.

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Normally he's busy organising
the tourists' mugging rota.

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But today the roadside traffic
holds no allure.

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This is the object of his desire,

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a foxy female called Josie.

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To him, Josie's colourful rump is irresistible.

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This signals that she is at her most fertile

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but this window of opportunity will
last at most for ten days.

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While she's in the mood,
he will shadow her every move.

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But his motives aren't purely romantic.

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He wants to stop other
males from muscling-in

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and make sure that he is the only one
to father her offspring.

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In baboon society, "just good friends"
doesn't mean things won't develop -

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more like "friends with benefits".

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She leads him to her private boudoir
up in the cliffs.

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But while the boss is busy, the rest
of the troop are up to some mischief.

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On the weekends, recreational
fishermen flock to the coast,

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eager to head out to sea
to catch a popular game fish, snoek.

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Their launch site overlooks False Bay,

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so called because sailors believed,
falsely, as it turned out,

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that they had successfully navigated
the stormy Cape Of Good Hope.

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While the fishermen are preoccupied
with parking cars and floating boats,

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they are being watched.

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Discarded rubbish
is definitely worth investigating,

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but there's one thing the thieving
Smitz troop can't resist -
a parked car.

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Hooks, and er...snoeks on their mind,
these fisher folk forget to shut
their windows.

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As the fishing boats leave,

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the baboons seize their chance to
check out every vehicle.

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But sometimes curiosity can backfire.

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One of the younger males, Pinky,
has broken his little finger.

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And this little one, missing half an
arm, is called Shortcut.

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It's the price to pay for meddling fingers.

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Shortcut was so badly electrocuted
that he lost his hand and tail

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but amazingly it healed and it
doesn't seem to have slowed him down.

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Like potential buyers,
the baboons inspect each vehicle.

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Bodywork's sound. Hm.

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Aerial's pretty whippy.

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Wing-mirror's OK.

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This dodgy rear wiper needs some
attention.

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Hm. One owner you say?

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Maybe overdone it with the waxing.

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When the fishermen return,

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they may not appreciate
all the free hours maintenance put in

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by this group of baboon mechanics.

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Meanwhile, far from the coast, deep
in the forest nestled beneath
the mountains,

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the Tokai troop are being shadowed
by the new kid on the block - Clint.

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Having travelled here from a
neighbouring troop,

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this young male is trying to win
friends and influence people -

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well, other baboons.

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Clint follows from a safe distance.

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He wants to be accepted so that he
can have the protection

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of a family around him once more.

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So far it's only youngsters like this one

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that have said a friendly hello,
by lip smacking.

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The big males have been much harder to sway,

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but today Clint has a visitor.

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Maegerli is the veteran of the troop,

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with his distinctive floppy jaws,
damaged by many fights.

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He's seen it all before.

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Maegerli has been watching Clint

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and his response to the interloper

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could be critical to Clint's chances
of being accepted into the troop.

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Clint is understandably nervous.

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But instead of giving warning signs
such as staring or yawning,

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Maegerli lip-smacks - a friendly gesture.

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It looks as though Clint has won the
approval of the slack-jawed oldster.

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This is a major breakthrough
for the young baboon.

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Having one of the big males on side
speeds up acceptance into the Tokai.

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As in human society,
it's all about who you know.

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Set in the middle of the Tokai's forest home

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is an academy with sports grounds
and training centre -

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a great recreation site
and not just for humans.

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It's sports day, baboon style.

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The team is warming up on the pitch.

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Like children, young baboons love to play.

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It strengthens their bodies
and challenges their minds.

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It's a fun way of training
for the demands of adulthood.

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But all sportsmen must know their
limits.

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The young males are much more gung-ho
than their sisters.

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While the girls like to hang out
with mum, grooming,

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the boys often play rough -
a sign of things to come.

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Though baboons largely forage on the
ground

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and have limbs of equal length
for walking on all fours,

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they retain the monkey
mountaineering skills.

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Their stout, rubbery fingers enable
them to grip slippery surfaces.

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Adults spend less time playing
than the youngsters,

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though they still need to keep fit.

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For heavily-pregnant Berta,

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just getting up the stairs to the gym
is hard enough.

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Here's the troop's favourite event -

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the rope-climb with water hazard.

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The youngsters hadn't realised this
was a "mixed" pool

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and suddenly seem a bit shy.

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Looks like Troy doesn't want to get
his feet wet.

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All baboons are curious, their big
brains wanting to explore
everything they find,

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but for some reason this little toad
is making them jumpy.

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The gatecrasher is an endangered
Western Leopard Toad.

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Like the baboons, it's suffered as a
result of urbanisation on the Cape.

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It's a protected species...

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but not from these crazy oiks.

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This is a new event -
upside-down tightrope fighting.

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The universal culture of sport -

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baboons are able to grasp
ropes rather like humans,

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as they have opposable fingers and thumbs.

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The toad has his pond to himself at last.

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(SCREECHING)

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On the coast, the wind is picking up
and the water is getting choppy.

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It's time for the fishermen to return
and process their catch.

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Eagerly watched by the Smitz troop,
the men unload the fish.

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It's been a good day - though
the mood might

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change when they see the
state of their wipers.

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The fishermen attract a
curious crowd of baboons.

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Females with young to suckle
always seem to have huge appetites.

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But will the Smitz gang switch from
roadside robbery to scrounging
a fish supper?

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I'm Bill Bailey and I'm on the Cape
Peninsula in southern South Africa

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where the local baboon population
is running out of space.

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Wilderness is disappearing
as the human population expands,

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meaning that like it or not, baboons
have to share their patch.

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The members of the Smitz troop have
come to rely on handouts from people

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instead of the native plants of the Cape -

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and that's where the trouble starts.

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People feed baboons without realising
the potential danger,

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encouraging them to lose
their fear of humans.

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You see, if you feed baboons,
then it's like saying to them

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it's OK to take food from people at
any time, but of course it isn't.

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But by making that association, it
sends out a mixed message to the baboons.

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You can't blame them for getting confused

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and sadly a baboon that pushes things
too far is likely to be deemed
dangerous and be shot.

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The signs clearly say don't feed the
baboons, but some can't resist.

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One troop led astray by people
breaking the rules is the Smitz.

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Usually, it's tourists leaving
their cars unlocked

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but today, down in the harbour car park,

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the fishermen are playing their part
in teaching the baboons bad habits

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by sharing their lunch.

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Alpha male Fred is treating
his new lady friend, Josie,

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to a romantic spot of lunch
overlooking the harbour.

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Being the old charmer that he is,

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Fred tries to pick out a bottle
that befits the occasion.

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But the vintage looks very suspect.

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Fred, I'd just put that down
and walk away.

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Local families often bring their kids
to Miller's Point

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for a "braai" - "barbecue" to us Brits -

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and the tempting aromas
have caught Fred's sensitive nose.

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With young children, the last thing
this couple need is a pair of
baboon gate crashers.

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They're not even all out of the car -
when Fred gets in.

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Getting between a mother and her
young -

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of any species - is a risky business.

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Fred barely seems to notice the
beating - the stolen hot dog
bun was worth it.

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But being fearless could lead to
trouble with his human neighbours.

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On a sports field
in the middle of the Tokai Forest,

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the athletes are worn out from a busy
day and are getting a bit irritable.

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These young males are nearing sexual maturity.

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With surging hormones,
they need to let off steam.

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The tension between the young males
is getting out of hand.

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Older male, Clint, has recently
joined the Tokai from another troop.

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A new kid on the block puts more pressure

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on the other boys to leave home.

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Males aren't allowed to stay in the
family once they've reached breeding age,

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to avoid any funny business with their sisters.

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Danny, the fiery-tempered alpha,

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keeps a stern eye on these adolescents,

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but surprisingly he doesn't intervene.

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He knows they're no threat to him.

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As they mature, they'll either leave
or he'll kick them out

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before they get too big for their boots.

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There are only so many stroppy teenagers

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that Danny can tolerate moping
around the forest.

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Pregnant Berta gets out of the way
at her own speed -

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things could get rough.

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Manny is the eldest. By now he should
have left this troop for another.

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But on the crowded peninsula,
it's difficult for him to leave.

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Frustrated, he throws his weight
around, picking on the smaller boys.

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00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:16,200
There's one member of the troop
who has been fighting his own battle,

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a little male who nearly lost an eye
on a barbed-wire fence.

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00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:28,440
Baby Cyclops is taking brave steps on
his own for the first time.

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Now he's regained his sight,

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he is at last confident enough
to leave his mother's side

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00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:36,120
and learn to climb the trees
that will be his home.

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00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:52,760
His mum, Persepolis, is staying
close, watching, comfortably
within reach.

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00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:56,280
It seems that her little one
is finally making friends of his own.

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00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:05,120
He's a fighter - maybe he'll take
after his dad.

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00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:09,920
He's already a bundle of trouble.

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00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:23,880
The younger baboons head inside
the nearby sports academy.

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Perhaps they'll even pick up
a few leadership skills here.

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are taught at the academy.

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Though, to the untrained eye,

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it looks like a perfect baboon
adventure playground.

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(CLATTERING)

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These pupils have no respect
for class discipline.

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00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:59,920
That was always a favourite game of
mine - trying to wind up the teacher.

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There's just too much good stuff in
here for a bad baboon boy to ignore.

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And, of course,
you can never have enough rope.

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00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:41,480
That'll be school out, then.

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00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:56,240
For the Smitz troop, another day of
mischief is drawing to a close.

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00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:03,480
These choosy monkeys have become
so used to stealing snacks from cars

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00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:06,400
that amazingly they turn up their
nose at the scraps of fish.

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I suppose sushi is an acquired taste.

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As the men secure their boats,

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it's time for Shortcut and the
gang to ship out too,

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taking with them the spoils
of the day.

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But Merlin's not done yet.

236
00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:38,320
The divers have been on a collecting
mission for the local aquarium

237
00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:42,320
and now have a trunk of specimens
they need to rush back to the tanks.

238
00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:49,800
But they can only stand and wait
while they clear baboon customs.

239
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:54,920
The team guard their catch

240
00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:58,000
but that doesn't stop Merlin from
giving their car a good once-over.

241
00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:04,920
Eventually, even Merlin is forced to
admit defeat.

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00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:08,120
As the relieved divers start
heading for home,

243
00:21:08,120 --> 00:21:12,360
it looks like Merlin will have to
make do with a healthy plant diet
for a change.

244
00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:19,240
Merlin's been outfoxed...but not for long.

245
00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:22,160
There's a plan forming
behind those wily eyes...

246
00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:23,760
for the biggest heist of all.

247
00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:33,840
Next time... Will Merlin
get his revenge?

248
00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:42,080
The younger members of the Smitz
gatecrash a paddling party.

249
00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:46,680
And what's this?
It looks like Clint has a date.

250
00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:49,400
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