Serengeti Baboons Trapped by Rising Waters High-Dive From the Treetops and Swim to Terra Firma

John Downer Productions captured harrowing footage of a baboon troop in the African savannah trapped in their roosting tree by rising floodwaters, further documenting how Bakari, the troop leader, carefully navigated the precarious environment by high-diving from the treetop. This daring move showed the rest of the group the way to safety, yet in every emergency, complex social dynamics and family discontent will always arise.

The baboon troop are trapped up in their roosting tree. To escape, Bakari takes a death-defying leap to the edge of the flood waters followed by Cheka and their offspring. The rest of the troop soon follow, but Bibi, Cheka's rival, is left behind creating more tensions within the troop.

This clip is from the company's Serengeti II series, narrated by Lupita Nyong'o.

The pioneering series Serengeti returns to capture the dramatic and emotional interconnected stories of iconic savannah animals. There's humour, heartbreak and nail-biting tension as new characters move in and familiar faces continue their stories. Bakari the baboon struggles with family life.

Bakari's troop returned in the following season, which also caught Nalla, the elephant matriarch, expertly digging a well to find drinkable water.

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