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Article: Boys vs. baboons.
- Article from:
- Highlights for Children
- Article date:
- March 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Highlights for Children, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In Zimbabwe, where I live, corn is the staple food crop for most people. We call it maize. For farmers who live in the countryside, selling maize is the only way of earning money.
Farmers hope for good rainfall, because a poor harvest can be a serious problem. But dry weather is not the only cause of poor harvests. Maize also happens to be a favorite food of certain wild monkeys that live nearby: baboons.
In the countryside, baboons sometimes raid maize fields. Only thirty baboons can wipe out most of a crop. As they eat, they also bring down much of the crop as they fight and chase one another.
Most farmers can't afford fences. Instead, it is ...