When it’s time to give birth, the normally highly social geladas of Guassa, Ethiopia, often isolate themselves to avoid aggressive behavior from other monkeys and remain silent in an effort to evade predators.
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An Incredible Look at a Monkey Being Born
Geladas typically give birth in total seclusion. Here's how one photographer got a rare image of a monkey in labor.
How do you capture a rare, remarkable moment that's over in the blink of an eye? Photographer Jeff Kerby found himself with an unbelievable frame while on assignment for National Geographic in Ethiopia photographing gelada monkeys.
While Kerby and a team of researchers were standing near a group of female geladas, one of them—visibly pregnant—started to go into labor. Kerby captured frame-by-frame as the infant emerged, two stunned faces attached to the same body.
How did he do it? "I took advantage of having been a biologist before becoming a photographer," says Kerby, who is also a National Geographic explorer. He had observed geladas for years, so when he saw the pregnant monkey walk away from her group (rare
