Once upon a time during the liberation struggle of Zimbabwe, a certain village in Manyika Province was bombed by Smith regime soldiers. The whole village was turned to ashes. All the people in the village died but there was only one fortunate survivor, a baby girl. The baby cried throughout the day and night but no help came from the nearby villages. The following day a troop of baboons that were passing by saw the baby lying next to the burning ashes. Filled with compassion and having understood the plight of the baby, the mother baboon picked up the baby and carried on its back. The baboons moved back into the forest where they started to look after the little baby with tender loving care. It gave them pride and a purpose. The baboons provided food for the baby. At night-time the baboons would go and sleep in a cave. The mother baboon would grab the baby and brought it closer to its chest and cupped the baby with its fur arms to give the baby the best warmth. The father baboon would sandwich the baby, providing the best protection and warmth. As the days flew by, the little girl developed quickly and mastered the baboon life, eating like a baboon, walking like a baboon and communicating like a baboon. All these development pleased the new parents especially the mother baboon who made all the efforts to fend her and teaching all the tricks of surviving in the jungle. The little girl could quickly alert the baboon family if human beings were coming to send them away from their fields and orchards.
Two years later the little baby girl was now capable of walking long distances in search of food. She used her hands as forefront legs like the baboons. It was on one of these trips that the little girl was noticed with other villagers whilst walking with baboons. The people in the neighbouring villages were puzzled. Some people who were more curious than others started to follow these baboons and observe from a distance and discovered the truth that the little girl was part of the baboon’s family. It is from their observations that they noted that the little girl was living happily with the baboons and there was a kind of mutual understanding. The little girl was also protected from any outside attacks especially from the human beings.
The story was reported to the Chief of the area and who finalised that the little girl should be taken away from the baboon’s family and brought her to the village. The villagers gathered and found a way to take the little girl from the baboon. When time came to pick her up, the villagers could not comprehend the fierce attack they faced from the wild animals. The baboons were screaming and chanting but it did not stop the villagers to go ahead with their plan. The baby girl became very upset when she realised her old family had been overpowered. The baboons ran after the human beings in attempt to grab their child back.
In the end the animals accepted defeat. The first few weeks were hard to adapt for the baby but surprisingly the little girl blended well with new parents. Her story became the talk of so many people. The villagers prepared a party invited the baboons a sign of appreciation. It went merrily and the baby girl was happy to reunite with her former parents “the baboons”
