Baboons were not actually native to Egypt. It was said that the Egyptian people had once campaigned south of the Nile River, as far as the "Land of Punt," which was very likely present-day East Africa or the Arabian Peninsula. They then brought these wondrous animals, unlike any they had seen before, back to Egypt and kept them in captivity.
They probably never succeeded in domesticating baboons. Otherwise, people would be keeping baboons as pets now. Cats had become house pets, though they might consider a human home their own territory.
Baboons were also social animals. Their territories were often inherited from their ancestors. Some naturally had abundant water and fruit, while others were dry and short of water, so conflicts over better territory were inevitable.
Baboons practiced polygyny, and their family structures were hardly stable. Usually, a small number of baboons had females on both arms, while most male baboons could only watch from the sidelines.
Thus, whenever the single baboons had the chance, they competed for dominance and mating rights, throwing the whole troop into turmoil.
Yet most of the time, they remained quite restrained, because no one wanted to be injured or fall ill in a fight.
There were many predators around baboon territory, such as hyenas and cheetahs. These fierce beasts watched the baboon troops at all times, ready to kill any injured or sick baboon the moment an opportunity arose.
Before fighting, baboons assessed the risks and rewards. This allowed them to remain rational, giving up certain trivial benefits to avoid conflict. For example, if a peanut was thrown in front of a male baboon, he would immediately pick it up and eat it. But if a peanut was thrown between two male baboons of equal status, they would ignore it. In their eyes, dueling