Disbelief filled the air as our safari jeep rumbled back to Umkumbe Game Lodge. A crew of cheeky Chacma Baboons had commandeered the bar area like uninvited revelers at a party. Tables played a game of musical chairs, chairs performed confetti acrobatics, and a trail of food wrappers showcased the path to a throne constructed entirely from pilfered treats. These baboons were embracing the high life with glee, flaunting it shamelessly.

The lodge’s guides and staff wielded brooms and expressions as stern as school principals’. With a burst of energy that would have left Olympic sprinters in awe, the baboons scattered like marbles from a toppled jar, abandoning their impromptu feast to make a beeline for the sanctuary of the trees and grassland. The staff gave chase, hollering and flapping arms with the gusto of a chaotic dance recital on a mission to reinstate order in their once-calm sanctuary.

After the commotion subsided and the baboon-induced hubbub settled, the lodge staff faced the formidable task of restoring post-apocalyptic bar decor.

Regrettably, amidst the wreckage, the baboons had somehow overlooked obliterating my bar bill – a remnant of their escapade and a testament to their curious selective destruction.