Tales from Africa - The Zebra and the Baboon

So how exactly did the zebra end up with its stripes, and the baboon with the red buttocks?

Well that is a very old tale that is carried over from generation to generation in the African culture.

There once was a grumpy old baboon who guarded a water hole on the savanna plains in Africa. One year the drought was getting very bad and all the water pools started drying up, all but one; The one that was guarded by the mean baboon, the baboon didn't want any of the other animals to share his water hole and quickly chased off any animal that dared to take a chance at getting a drink of water from his pool.

The majestic zebra who's coat was a dazzling white passed by the pool one day, not knowing about the grumpy baboon, and wanted to have a drink of water. He was tired and thirsty from his long travel, and pleaded with the baboon for a drink of water at first; but the baboon greedily refused him.

Every night the Baboon would build a great big fire to deter any animal that would try and sneak past him to the watering hole.

That night the zebra returned to try his luck at a drink of water yet again, but the baboon and zebra got into some altercation, and the zebra ended up kicking the baboon so hard that he landed with his buttocks firmly on the rocky edges of koppie next to the watering hole. This caused the baboon to loose his footing causing the zebra to roll straight through the fire.

The zebra got such a fright of the fire that he ran to the grassy plains where he remained grazing, cindered black stripes and all waiting for another chance to access the watering hole. As for the baboon, well his buttocks were red and swollen from his firm landing on the rock next to the watering hole, and out of fear of the zebra attacking him again he fled to the mountain koppies where he remained for the rest of his days.