I wonder if they were really Chacmas (whatever the label said...) as against the more usual Olive, Yellow or Guinea. I have never seen Chacma baboons in a UK zoo -ever.
The female baboon in the 1950's Bognor Regis collection was included in the guide book as a Chacma Baboon. The photo I used for my book shows the face clearly if that helps.
The female baboon in the 1950's Bognor Regis collection was included in the guide book as a Chacma Baboon. The photo I used for my book shows the face clearly if that helps.
The faces are fairly similar in all of them. Chacmas are very grey-coloured and bigger than the other Savanah baboons, which have olive, yellow or ginger colour.
Chacma baboons used to be the main baboon species in Australasia. They were exhibited at the Taronga, Auckland and Wellington Zoos; and were also held in many circuses and smaller wildlife parks. They have now been phased out of the region, with the last individuals dying over the course of the last decade. The Australasian region now focusses on Hamadryas baboons.