‘Queen of Baboons’ is a deeply intimate portrayal of life in a baboon troop seen through the eyes of a female named Tubu. In the African wild, few animals live long enough to die of old age, yet Tubu’s ragged ears and frail limbs belie the indomitable spirit that has seen her cheat death for nearly thirty years.
From the moment of her birth, Tubu is destined for greatness. Born into the troop’s highest-ranking family, she will become queen one day. Her lofty status allows her to dominate all the females of the troop. She can snatch their food, their infants and their sleeping sites - by right, or by force - if necessary. With a single scream, she can summon an army of relatives and sycophants.
But privilege cannot protect her from hardship and danger. To emerge as a feared and powerful monarch, she must survive flood and famine, deadly predators and the loss of her mother. What’s more, male baboons - who have no regard for Tubu’s high rank - threaten and torment her at every milestone of her privileged life.
Against the backdrop of Botswana’s exquisite Okavango Delta, the baboons’ deadliest foe, a female leopard, lurks in the island forests. The troop forget their internal rivalries and work together to counter the threat. Meanwhile, a resident herd of impala have been relying on the baboons for food and protection, but in a surprising twist, Tubu betrays the impalas’ trust when she attacks and kills their newborn calves.