Shared Moment: Tiny Thinker

A baby baboon enchants a lucky wildlife photographer.

Photograph by Jacques-André Dupont
PhotoZone
Aug 01, 2019

ON HIS FIRST TRIP to Africa, in the first hour of the first day, Jacques-André Dupont spotted this baby baboon in a tree, where it played for 30 solid minutes. “It was a very magical moment for me,” says Dupont of the encounter in Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park. With parents “chilling” nearby, “this little guy was making all sorts of human poses, some funny, some insightful,” Dupont says. “This is my favorite. It looks like Rodin’s ‘The Thinker.’” Earning an honorable mention in National Wildlife’s 2018 photo contest, this frame certainly made us think—and smile.

More from National Wildlife magazine and the National Wildlife Federation:

NWF Blogs: Baby Animals »
Baby Animals: Let Nature Take Its Course? »
2018 National Wildlife Photo Contest Winners »
See Last Issue's Shared Moment »

Get Involved

Donate Today

Sign a Petition

Donate Monthly

Nearby Events

Where We Work

More than one-third of U.S. fish and wildlife species are at risk of extinction in the coming decades. We're on the ground in seven regions across the country, collaborating with 52 state and territory affiliates to reverse the crisis and ensure wildlife thrive.

Learn More