The Baboon in the big diorama
before 1930
of unknown provenance
A pity really that our Baboon can not tell us about his origins and history. He probably met his death after 1910. The hunting of monkeys and baboons was then and still is common in Africa. A missionary from St. Ottilien sent the baboon back to Germany, in those days certainly by ship. We do not know how the carcass was preserved during the long journey.
We may assume, however, that only the complete skin was dispatched to the taxidermy workshop which had been set up in rooms adjacent to the museum. Alumni of the mission seminary were drafted into the work of preserving and mounting the animal skins in as "authentic" a way as possible.
The nameless Ottilien taxidermists did a very good, almost perfect job, as emerged in 2010 when the stuffed animals were examined more closely. Not a single one was affected by parasites. A generous dosage of arsenic certainly helped.
The body parts which most suffered under the passage of time where those that had no hair and where therefore varnished. This gave our Baboon its unusual appearance. Staring glass further enhanced the overall impression.
Papio anubis, the Olive Baboon, belongs to the group of primates called Old World monkeys. He shares his preferred living space with humans and there are often conflicts caused by his similar food range and high intelligence.
