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Almost Human: A Journey into the World of Baboons
In 1972, a young graduate student named Shirley Strum traveled to Kenya to study a troop of olive baboons (Papio anubis) nicknamed the Pumphouse Gang. Like our own ancestors, baboons had adapted to life on the African savannah, and Strum hoped that by observing baboon behavior, she could learn something about how early humans might have lived. Soon the baboons had won her heart as well as her mind, and Strum has been working with them ever since.
Vividly written and filled with fascinating insights, Almost Human chronicles the first fifteen years of Strum's fieldwork with the Pumphouse Gang. From the first paragraph, the reader is drawn along with Strum into the world of the baboons, learning about the tragedies and triumphs of their daily lives—and the lives of the scientists studying them. This edition includes a new introduction and epilogue that place Strum's research in the context of the current global conservation crisis and tell us what has happened to the Pumphouse Gang since the book was first published.
Vividly written and filled with fascinating insights, Almost Human chronicles the first fifteen years of Strum's fieldwork with the Pumphouse Gang. From the first paragraph, the reader is drawn along with Strum into the world of the baboons, learning about the tragedies and triumphs of their daily lives—and the lives of the scientists studying them. This edition includes a new introduction and epilogue that place Strum's research in the context of the current global conservation crisis and tell us what has happened to the Pumphouse Gang since the book was first published.
323 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 2, 2023
Shyly I added a new book. I wanted to read hundreds of books, but I had to cut many books from my list, cut Jung, interesting but pseudoscience, read just Academy of Ideas courses, do not read the ancient philosophers' whole works, as they were too backward at times, try and do some courses, and take just the best bits and that also fit today’s mentality, skip Nietzche read just some bits, some summaries, whatever… I have one life and I want to read so much and do so much… Ever since I got employed my time narrowed, however, I still managed to read 6 or 7 books this year. What is non-negotiable for me is primatology. U know your girl how pretentious and arrogant she is, when she opened up to a single friend that she loves reading about chimps, and her friend did not understand, this is what she should have told them, the perfect explanation. I found it, and yes primatology is one of the few jobs that makes a true impact in the world. No offense, for us the rest. There are the primatologists and the rest.
“It's important, I’d tell them, it has to do with all of us, with our pasts and our futures. What I’m discovering is important, but it’s not easy and it’s not quick. Forgive me, I sometimes wanted to say. Understand me.
But why, they asked, couldn’t I simply stay in California and study people instead of baboons? I could certainly learn as much, and I could begin to lead a “real” life.
True, I could study people, I’d have a great advantage: I could ask my subjects about what happened at certain times, what they were feeling and thinking, what seemed important or trivial to them. But there would be many disadvantages – not the least being that human subjects can lie. I remember one classic study that spanned nearly a decade. It was five years after the study began that the subjects informed the anthropologist studying them that they had lied to him about everything; now, since they felt they could trust him, they would tell him the truth!
When one studies animals, there are no problems with lying, but there is the problem of how to understand a creature that does not talk. We often forget that we are animals ourselves – that we watch the outside world with specialized senses, with a brain that is geared to integrate this information in a specific way, and with a set of emotions strongly invested in one view of how the world works or should work. Many early interpretations of animal behavior were unconsciously anthropomorphic, projections of human behavior onto animals. The problem was greatest in studies of monkeys and apes since our biological closeness to another creature influences our ability and desire to view it in human terms. It is more difficult to guess what two insects are doing than to intuit the behavior of chimpanzees, and it is even more difficult not to assume what is happening when we watch the higher primates because we are so alike and can understand so much more of their communication and emotions.”
The author was so pretentious, “understand me”, playing the lonely genius card. But she was a genius. That’s a fact. And I am her fan girl, so please consider primatology a top subject, otherwise, you are not a smart human to me. Hihi ^_^.
I loved what she said here:
“Was it anthropomorphic to believe that baboons were intelligent manipulators of their social world; to think that they weighted alternatives and made decisions; to think that even without language they had mental symbols that allowed them to think first and act later, that allowed them to create remarkable unwritten contracts of social reciprocity? Upon reflection, it seems peculiarly human, particularly anthropocentric, to deny them these abilities. As I searched further, I found that a few other investigators of animal behavior were reaching similar conclusions. ”
At times, the book sounded poetic… And I loved her struggle to relocate the troops to a better place because they were killed by farmers. She fought a hard battle, and she saved her beloved animals. Well, that’s what I call heroic.
“It's important, I’d tell them, it has to do with all of us, with our pasts and our futures. What I’m discovering is important, but it’s not easy and it’s not quick. Forgive me, I sometimes wanted to say. Understand me.
But why, they asked, couldn’t I simply stay in California and study people instead of baboons? I could certainly learn as much, and I could begin to lead a “real” life.
True, I could study people, I’d have a great advantage: I could ask my subjects about what happened at certain times, what they were feeling and thinking, what seemed important or trivial to them. But there would be many disadvantages – not the least being that human subjects can lie. I remember one classic study that spanned nearly a decade. It was five years after the study began that the subjects informed the anthropologist studying them that they had lied to him about everything; now, since they felt they could trust him, they would tell him the truth!
When one studies animals, there are no problems with lying, but there is the problem of how to understand a creature that does not talk. We often forget that we are animals ourselves – that we watch the outside world with specialized senses, with a brain that is geared to integrate this information in a specific way, and with a set of emotions strongly invested in one view of how the world works or should work. Many early interpretations of animal behavior were unconsciously anthropomorphic, projections of human behavior onto animals. The problem was greatest in studies of monkeys and apes since our biological closeness to another creature influences our ability and desire to view it in human terms. It is more difficult to guess what two insects are doing than to intuit the behavior of chimpanzees, and it is even more difficult not to assume what is happening when we watch the higher primates because we are so alike and can understand so much more of their communication and emotions.”
The author was so pretentious, “understand me”, playing the lonely genius card. But she was a genius. That’s a fact. And I am her fan girl, so please consider primatology a top subject, otherwise, you are not a smart human to me. Hihi ^_^.
I loved what she said here:
“Was it anthropomorphic to believe that baboons were intelligent manipulators of their social world; to think that they weighted alternatives and made decisions; to think that even without language they had mental symbols that allowed them to think first and act later, that allowed them to create remarkable unwritten contracts of social reciprocity? Upon reflection, it seems peculiarly human, particularly anthropocentric, to deny them these abilities. As I searched further, I found that a few other investigators of animal behavior were reaching similar conclusions. ”
At times, the book sounded poetic… And I loved her struggle to relocate the troops to a better place because they were killed by farmers. She fought a hard battle, and she saved her beloved animals. Well, that’s what I call heroic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2017
This was a really interesting book on baboons. I could have done with a post script letting me know what happened with them, but it was a good look at monkeys and how humans affect them and vice versa.
April 14, 2019
A fascinating look at the life of a researcher and her interactions with the baboons that she studied, and what she learned from and about them and their lives.
May 29, 2018
Strum in this book describes her experiences studying a troop of baboons in Gilgil, Kenya, for something over ten years. Her results contradicted the previous views about baboon behavior; she found no evidence of a clear dominance hierarchy among males, but a definite hierarchy among females; she found that agression plays less of a role than previously thought, and that social strategies play a much greater role. There is much interesting material here both about primate behavior and about the challenges of conservation even in a species which is far from being currently endangered (except in the sense that all wildlife is endangered by the human expansion into their habitat.)
December 27, 2022
This very accessible account of Ms. Strum's baboon studies gives you great insight into the lives of the animals she so obviously loves.
January 10, 2008
A bit dry and academic in places, but still a fascinating insight into the social world of the Pumphouse Gang, baboon behaviour in general, the reaction of Strum’s family to her choice of career, and the internal politics of working in the field of primatology.
FAVOURITE QUOTES:
“It was my first close look at wild animals, and they nearly stepped over us. Gracefully tall, dancelike in the rhythm of their stride, with soft hairy mouths, doelike eyes and fuzzy, stumpy horns, they were an unbelievable configuration of legs and necks. Our driver sat impatiently racing the motor until the last millimeter of giraffe was past, then rushed on. When you’ve seen one giraffe, his acceleration said, you’ve seen them all. I hoped never to become that blasé.” [p. 10]
“One young male decided that I might be easier bait than the high-ranking female he was trying to entice, so when he gave up on her, he started on me. As usual, I moved away. He moved closer; I moved again. Plan A was definitely not working; he tailed me wherever I went. Finally, I switched to Plan B. I refused to look at him or even let him believe that I *could* look at him. He threatened; I shunned. We both knew what this meant, but he was stubborn and refused to give up. We moved around in small concentric circles, the juvenile all the time taking up a new position directly in front of me. Just when I was getting quite dizzy he moved off. I was convinced; sooner or later you could control what was going on by refusing to acknowledge it.” [p. 59]
FAVOURITE QUOTES:
“It was my first close look at wild animals, and they nearly stepped over us. Gracefully tall, dancelike in the rhythm of their stride, with soft hairy mouths, doelike eyes and fuzzy, stumpy horns, they were an unbelievable configuration of legs and necks. Our driver sat impatiently racing the motor until the last millimeter of giraffe was past, then rushed on. When you’ve seen one giraffe, his acceleration said, you’ve seen them all. I hoped never to become that blasé.” [p. 10]
“One young male decided that I might be easier bait than the high-ranking female he was trying to entice, so when he gave up on her, he started on me. As usual, I moved away. He moved closer; I moved again. Plan A was definitely not working; he tailed me wherever I went. Finally, I switched to Plan B. I refused to look at him or even let him believe that I *could* look at him. He threatened; I shunned. We both knew what this meant, but he was stubborn and refused to give up. We moved around in small concentric circles, the juvenile all the time taking up a new position directly in front of me. Just when I was getting quite dizzy he moved off. I was convinced; sooner or later you could control what was going on by refusing to acknowledge it.” [p. 59]
August 8, 2010
Accessible and well written work on baboon society and the lessons that can be learned therefrom. Strum studies The Pumphouse Gang, a troop of baboons, over time. This book summarizes lessons that she learned about these animals. Her work showed more nuances in the behavior of baboons than earlier works.
All in all, a literate and insightful work on our primate relatives.
All in all, a literate and insightful work on our primate relatives.
August 16, 2007
I've quoted Shirley. She taught me something important. The so called university experts who studied baboons did so in zoos. Shirley found the free baboons made baboons out of the experts. The baboons that were free behaved entirely different from what the universities were saying.
August 29, 2022
Baboons are fascinating primates. They aren’t as closely related to us as the great apes, but surely they are not so distant. Strom soon niscoveeed they have many similarities to us. It is a fascinating read though at times a bit dry
September 28, 2007
i loved this book. it was a very personal journey of discovery and a correlation between how baboons and humans are similar in their strategy for finding acceptance in the group.
August 20, 2009
An anthropologist’s story of her baboon research, what she learned about baboon society, and how her group found a new home for the baboon colony. Fascinating stuff.
October 5, 2012
My favorite book on primate study.
December 1, 2016
As good as a book about baboons could be
February 9, 2018
the writing is clear but meanders without much purpose. this is a very long diary entry without much force either in the personal biography department or in the area of scientific observation and fascination.
the author did her best to write an entertaining science book but she goes on tangents and long digressions about brushing her teeth and what color khaki shorts she’s wearing. she ends up not making it interesting, she ends up making it unfocused and directionless.
this was obviously a huge part of her life and very meaningful for her. it seems like a fascinating journey to have taken and something i wish i could enjoy taking, too, through the book. the writing is just not there for me. the story just isn’t compelling for me. the work she did was important (IMO) but i was hoping to expand my knowledge of primatology into the baboon world since i know very little about them. it doesn’t look like that is going to happen since i am probably going to abandon this book for juicier reads.
the author did her best to write an entertaining science book but she goes on tangents and long digressions about brushing her teeth and what color khaki shorts she’s wearing. she ends up not making it interesting, she ends up making it unfocused and directionless.
this was obviously a huge part of her life and very meaningful for her. it seems like a fascinating journey to have taken and something i wish i could enjoy taking, too, through the book. the writing is just not there for me. the story just isn’t compelling for me. the work she did was important (IMO) but i was hoping to expand my knowledge of primatology into the baboon world since i know very little about them. it doesn’t look like that is going to happen since i am probably going to abandon this book for juicier reads.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews